OKRA Dance

Description

OKRA DANCE is a collective of highly accomplished and versatile professional dancers, musicians and artist-educators of African descent who use movement, rhythm, song and storytelling to honor and celebrate community traditions and innovations from all over the world, and in particular, those of the peoples of the Black African diaspora. In addition to its four repertory shows [American Dance: From Africa to Broadway; Rhythm Dances from Around the World; Journeys into Africa; and Roots to Rap: Evolutions of American Rhythm], OKRA also offers residencies which use dance and the arts to make connections to key moments in American and world history; professional development for both emerging and experienced educators; and creates and produces customized interactive events which blur the lines between performers and audiences. Visit okradance.com | IG: @okradanceco

Work Sample

Roots to Rap: Evolutions of American Rhythm (Virtual presentation, Brooklyn NY 2022). Full show run time: 52 minutes. This minimum 4-person show is a 400 year journey chronicling how culture, music and dance intertwine throughout American history. This show runs straight through in three acts, with no narrative. Optional performer Q&A adds additional 30-45 minutes to show length. Also, see show trailer: https://youtu.be/SO8YIH-8xVQ

American Dance: From Africa to Broadway (Queens Theater, NYC, 2017). Show run time: 30-50 min. This two-person show examines the African and European influences that have informed American theatrical dance styles, such as tap, jazz, swing and the blues. This show is highly interactive with audience movement opportunities and engaging storytelling. As developed it is suitable for general audiences, but all shows and (performers!) are highly responsive and can tailor shows in the moment to audiences from pre-schoolers to university lecture attendees.

OKRA Dance Company reel from over 10 years ago. OKRA is a legacy of dancers from award-winning choreographer Dianne McIntyre's Sounds In Motion Dance company, and has been in existence since 1979, and is on its third director.

The work samples represent what OKRA does in all of its facets, and the styles of the videos remain true to our sense of mutability and whimsy!

History

OKRA DANCE is a collective of highly accomplished and versatile professional dancers, musicians and artist-educators of African descent who use movement, rhythm, song and storytelling to honor and celebrate community traditions and innovations from all over the world, and in particular, those of the peoples of the Black African diaspora. OKRA performs over 50 shows per year for youth and multigenerational audiences at schools, libraries, museums, festivals, and theater -“from Massachusetts to Miami” - including programs at such past venues as the Springfield Museums; the JFK Presidential Library and Museum; Tryon (NC) Children’s Theatre Festival; and local venues including Queens Theatre and Brooklyn Public Library. In addition to our four repertory shows, OKRA also offers residencies which use dance and the arts to make connections to key moments in American and world history; professional development for both emerging and experienced educators; and creates and produces customized interactive events which blur the lines between performers and audiences.

As of January 2022, OKRA Director Shireen Dickson has accepted a five-year full-time research appointment in the School of Communications (Theater) at Northwestern University and will be making the Chicago area her primary residence. While the company will still operate on the east coast, we hope to slowly begin expanding in the Midwest.

Artistic Vision

OKRA Dance creates performances which blur the lines between audience, performer, education and art-making. Our performances can happen in any environment. We encourage the audience to speak and make noise and move around. Improvisation as a device guarantees our performers’ unique abilities will shine on stage, and lets us tailor our shows to the uniqueness of every audience. This allows us to foster accessible opportunities for everyone to immerse themselves in the show and adapt real-time to the audience's responses.

We aim to be self-contained and flexible: we can perform or teach in virtually any space (though we prefer sprung/wooden floors since we are percussive). As a former NYC DOE teacher, I am to create multiple paths to learning and recall (with easy-to-remember keywords for future googling!). We make connections between current music and dance trends and show the stylistic threads between each decade’s fads and lasting innovations.

Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement

As a dancer who began and mostly professionally performed American dance styles (tap, jazz, musical theater, hip hop) I was often "marginalized" in spaces where Euro-centered styles (ballet and classical foundations) were considered the standard. I went into American dance history after discovering that all American styles occurred with the influence of African aesthetic elements. I think if people understood more clearly these relationships, especially in this time of "racial reckoning" and how rhythm brings us together, then we can begin to look at race in America through new and possibly helpful lenses. That's what I hope our shows do, to an extent.