Interview with Fernando Anuagn’a solo “Journey to the Future” presented at Danse l’Afrique danse! 2010. His interview is part of BT Dance Project’s Shifting Centers: Dance and Technology in and outside of Africa which highlights current contemporary African dance work throughout various countries in Africa.
Fernando Anuagn’a- Kenyan Choreographer/Dancer
Posted: November 26, 2010 in African Contemporary Dance, Baker & Tarpaga Dance Project, Contemporary Dance, Dance in and outside of Africa, Danse Contemporaine, Danse l'Afrique Danse!, History of Contemporary African Dance, KenyaComments
Greetings,
I am the Project Director/Library Specialist at the Dance Heritage Coalition in Washington, DC. We help dance companies, libraries and archives preserve and document their dance materials.
Anyway, I came across your blog via Dance/USA’s listserve. I just wanted to say I enjoyed the brief video and interview of Mr. Anuagn’a. I am new to modern, African dance, but it really is interesting to see what appears to be African cultural influences in his work.
Anyway, keep up the good work, and I look forward to visiting your blog again in the future.
cheers,
David
I found this video very quite beautiful. On the surface, it appears rather simplistic, especially in the costuming, minimalism of the stage, and appearance of ease in movement. However, the video is immensely complex in the respect that it speaks a lot to the traditional African aesthetic. As the dancer executes the movement with such clarity, each undulation, extension, and contraction becomes undeniably more significant and commanding in presence. More, the intensity of the performance appeals to the audience, as I found I could not take my eyes off of him. I think much of the time, in the art of dance, we overlook the influences of traditional African movement. Yet, this video emphasizes such African influences, as in watching the dance I observed much of what we value in modern and other dance forms today, such as the groundedness, polycentrism, and strength.