Shift … centre : cross-cultural spaces for dance training and choreographic enquiry.

Contemporary dance in East Africa, specifically Kenya, is a newly emerging art form informed by the political drive of a small number of choreographers. In this article, I discuss Kenyan choreographer Opiyo Okach’s contribution to dance training as exemplified through theShift…centre Series 10which was performed at The Place, London, October, 2009. The research for this writing draws on observations of dance rehearsals, workshops and performances and interviews conducted during a number of visits to Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala from 2007 to 2010.Shift … centrecombines improvisation, responses to site-specific locations, collaborations between artists, and offers an opportunity for dance training for the performers. Okach’s choreography is informed by his desire to de-centre the performing space and to challenge mainstream dance practice. This case study offers an example of a choreographer who creates both in his homeland and Europe and has been instrumental in the development of contemporary dance in Kenya and internationally.

an: 96067755; source: Research in Dance Education; docTypes: Article; pubTypes: Academic Journal;