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'Dancing the African Diaspora' Conference Explores Global Black Dance

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Dancer Kyle Abraham appears on a panel "Dancing the African Diaspora'. Photo by Carrie Schneider

Duke University will host the “Dancing the African Diaspora: Embodying the Afrofuture” conference February 19-21.

The second bi-annual conference brings together scholars, practitioners and educators for three days of intellectual discussion and artistic inspiration centered on global black dance.

A theme for the conference is Afrofuturism, a 20th century artistic movement combining elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism.

“We gather to explore the many ways that dance shapes and enlivens black lives, locally, regionally and globally,” said Thomas F. DeFrantz, a professor of African and African American studies and dance at Duke. 

“This conference will offer us all a glimpse of how black dance might help us all understand our humanity through embodied creative practices.” 

The conference will explore black masculinity and black feminism, black dance performed throughout the African diaspora and dance and racial justice.  

DeFrantz will lead a panel with dancer Kyle Abraham, visual artist Storyboard P and dancer and choreographer niv Acosta.

Other guests will include Nadine George-Graves, a professor of theater and dance at the University of California-San Diego, and dance historian and scholar John Perperner III.

The conference is organized by the Duke University-based Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD), a collaboration of dance scholars, dancers and teaching artists. Other Duke organizations co-sponsoring the conference are: SLIPPAGE: Performance|Culture|Technology, the African and African American Studies Department, Humanities Writ Large, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, the Corporeality Working Group, and Duke Performances.

Registration is free for Duke faculty, staff and students. Additional information can be found here.