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DANCE NEWS: Call For Submission—DanceAfrica 45 at BAM “Homegrown: In the Spirit of Our Beginnings”
Application for Video Submissions Closes at 11:59PM on October 20, 2021
DanceAfrica is BAM's longest-running program and America's largest celebration of African and African-American dance, music, and culture. Created in 1977, under the artistic direction of Founding Elder Chuck Davis and with the aim of heightening awareness of African culture, the festival has evolved into a beloved annual Memorial Day weekend event that brings the entire community together. In 2015, the leadership baton was passed to Abdel R. Salaam.
Each year DanceAfrica welcomes a new visiting company from Africa or its diaspora at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. The performances include other traditional and contemporary dance companies, including the students of BAM/Restoration DanceAfrica Ensemble, and live music. The weekend-long festival also includes master classes, community events, film screenings, an art exhibition, and the one-and-only DanceAfrica outdoor bazaar, a global marketplace of African, African-American, and Caribbean arts, crafts, and food featuring over 200 vendors and attracting up to 30,000 visitors per year.
• DanceAfrica 2022 will run during Memorial Day Weekend, May 27—30
• Artists for DanceAfrica 2022 will be selected through an open video submission process.
• Application for video submissions opens on October 6 and closes at 11:59pm on October 20, 2021.
• Artists must be US-based African and African Diasporic dance companies (traditional/contemporary/fusion)
• Artists must be available for an in-person audition upon acceptance of video submission
• Artists must be available for rehearsals two weeks prior to the DanceAfrica Memorial Day weekend in Brooklyn
• Artists must be available to perform during the DanceAfrica Memorial Day weekend
• Artists will be notified by email only if accepted, on or before October 31, 2021
