Performances Set for 4th Annual "Dance Africa Denver"

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The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble in performances of Cleo Parker Robinson’s “Madiba’s River,” a work Robinson created earlier this year in honor of the late Nelson Mandela.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) April 01, 2014

For one weekend only in May, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance will present the fourth annual Dance Africa Denver, featuring Afro Cuban Experimental Dance Ensemble Oyu Oro and from the Broadway Hit “Fela the Musical,” The Fela Queens, in collaboration with legendary Artistic Director Dr. Charles “Baba Chuck” Davis, in the historic Shorter AME in Five Points, the home of the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Baba Chuck has declared the theme for this year’s Dance Africa Denver to be Spiritual Awakening.

Now in its 37th year, Dance Africa is Davis’ multi-day celebration of the culture of Africa and its Diaspora. The event has been performed in major cities such as New York, Chicago, and Dallas, and has featured dance companies from around the world.

The weekend will feature the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble in performances of Cleo Parker Robinson’s “Madiba’s River,” a work Robinson created earlier this year in honor of the late Nelson Mandela. Guest companies Fela Queens and Oyu Oro will each pay tribute to African cultural lineages derived from the Yoruba, Congolese, Carabali, Arara, and Dahomean cultures of Africa, Haiti and Cuba. Audiences will also have opportunities to enjoy African dance and music workshops and an African Market of crafts and foods.

Where: Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theatre at 119 Park Avenue West, Denver, Colorado 80205 on the Corner of 20th, Park Ave. West, and Washington Streets

When:    Friday, May 2 at 7 p.m.
        Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
        Sunday, May 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.CleoParkerDance.org or through the theatre box office at 303-295-1759, ext. 13. All tickets are general admission.
        $38.00 for adults
        $35.00 for seniors (62 and over)
        $30.00 for children under 12, and students

“The purpose is to celebrate who we are all as a community – people from all walks of life, many cultures, many languages. Baba’s original vision of this was a humanitarian effort, when people come together we learn about one another,” said Cleo Parker Robinson of the Dance Africa program.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance formed in 1970 and is one of Denver’s most cherished cultural resources. Each year, the organization serves 40,000 patrons through performances and educational programs. In addition to operating a world-class modern repertory company, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance operates on the belief that everyone can dance.

Dr. Charles “Baba Chuck” Davis is Founder and Artistic Director of the African American Dance Ensemble and the New York-based Dance Africa. Davis attended Howard University and majored in Theater/Dance. Continuing his study in African dance under the guidance of Babatunde Olatunji, Eleo Pomare, and the Bernice Johnson Dance Company, his growing reputation was as one of the foremost teachers and accomplished choreographers in the traditional techniques of African dance.

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