VOICES OF STRENGTH

"VOICES OF STRENGTH: Contemporary Dance & Theater by Women from Africa" is the fall 2012 United States debut tour of a two-evening program bringing the stylistic diversity of contemporary performance on the African continent to audiences across the U.S. Produced by MAPP International Productions, VOICES OF STRENGTH presents four works created and performed by Nelisiwe Xaba (South Africa), Kettly Noël (Mali), Nadia Beugré (Côte d’Ivoire), Bouchra Ouizguen (Morocco) and Maria-Helena Pinto (Mozambique). Using humor, irony, poignancy and power, the works in VOICES OF STRENGTH confront personal obstacles, address political and social issues, and paint true and vivid pictures of the lives of contemporary African women.

With VOICES OF STRENGTH, MAPP is not only bringing four important works to stages in six cities across the U.S., we are introducing a wide range of people in American communities to important cultural leaders who have had an impact in their own communities on the African continent, through their leadership in arts education, cultural policy, and civic development. The U.S. public will have opportunities to not only see performances, but to meet with and hear from these artists in formal discussions and informal conversations. We are also commissioning a contextual essay to be distributed throughout the tour, written by noted dance scholar Joan Frosch (Center for World Arts, University of Florida, Gainesville).

VOICES OF STRENGTH features performances of "Correspondances" by Nelisiwe Xaba and Kettly Noël; "Quartiers Libres" by Nadia Beugré; "Madame Plaza" by Bouchra Ouizguen; and "Sombra" by Maria-Helena Pinto. The tour will visit:
Dance Center at Columbia College, Chicago, IL (Sept. 10-16, 2012)
New York Live Arts, New York, NY (Sept. 17-23, 2012)
Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle, WA (Sept. 24-30, 2012)
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC (Oct. 1-7, 2012)
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN (Oct. 8-14, 2012)
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA (Oct. 15-21, 2012)