OMAHA PERFORMING ARTS

The members of Colombian dance troupe Sankofa Danzafro were pleasantly surprised to find Nebraska wasn’t nearly as cold as they had been warned when they arrived in Omaha March 2. Both the weather and the community made for a warm welcome. 

Omaha was the third and last stop of the dance company's U.S. tour after performing in New York and Boston, and only in Omaha did the dancers have a chance to share their music, their dance and their history directly with community members. As part of O-pa's Voices AMPLIFIED! series — a multidisciplinary arts and social justice initiative to elevate artists from diverse cultures — they led two dance workshops that were free and open to anyone who wanted to attend. Over one hundred participants came out to The Venue at Highlander and Bancroft Street Market for dancing and exhilarating percussion. Participants were then invited to see Sankofa Danzafro perform their powerful show "Accommodating Lie" at the Orpheum Theater on March 4.

A translator conveyed the troupe’s excitement at being able to connect in such a special way, and by the end of the evening, everyone in the room was speaking the same language of dance.

UP NEXT FOR VOICES AMPLIFIED! 
Chicano roots band Las Cafeteras will lead a free workshop exploring "A People’s History of Music in the United States." This interactive workshop will provide U.S. history through a new lens and share video and audio of past and present artists who risked their careers, as well as their lives, in order to sing a new song. REGISTER HERE.