Raices et Resistance - World Premiere - Dance Mission Theater

Duniya Dance Company, Arenas Dance Company, and Dance Mission Theater's Liberation Academy present the world premiere of "Raices et Resistance"(or "Roots and Resistance" in Spanish/French), co-directed by Cuban choreographer Susana Arenas Pedroso and Guinean musician Bongo Sidibe. "Raices et Resistance" explores the vibrant, layered, and largely unknown social-political relationship between Guinea, West Africa and Cuba, forged by the transatlantic slave trade as well as the post-colonial cultural exchange that began in the 1960s. Bringing together their cultural expertises, passion, and their senses of joy and justice, Pedroso and Sidibe have created a unique performance built on storytelling and cultural collaboration. "Raices et Resistance" features a world-class Guinean/Cuban ensemble of 25 dancers and 15 musicians with traditional costuming from Cuba and Guinea in a performative conversation as Spanish and Malinke lyrics interweave with Cuban and Guinean rhythms. "'Often stories of African and Caribbean nations are predicated on their relationships to the white western world," explains Sidibe. "This project, while attached to the history of colonization and slavery, looks at independent nations carving out their own identities." After French colonization ended in 1958, Guinea elected socialist president Sekou Toure, one of the African continent's prominent independence leaders. Toure aligned closely with Cuba's Fidel Castro and through this alliance came cultural exchange between the two countries. The dance that emerged incorporated elements of Guinean footwork with popular Salsa dance steps. Artists were invited to festivals by the governments of both countries and national music groups in Guinea, like Bembeya Jazz, created music with heavy Cuban influence. "Raices et Resistance" is the final work in Pedroso and Duniya's multi-year performance cycle which began in 2022.

Duniya Dance Company, Arenas Dance Company, and Dance Mission Theater's Liberation Academy present the world premiere of "Raices et Resistance"\(or "Roots and Resistance" in Spanish/French\), co-directed by Cuban choreographer Susana Arenas Pedroso and Guinean musician Bongo Sidibe. "Raices et Resistance" explores the vibrant, layered, and largely unknown social-political relationship between Guinea, West Africa and Cuba, forged by the transatlantic slave trade as well as the post-colonial cultural exchange that began in the 1960s. Bringing together their cultural expertises, passion, and their senses of joy and justice, Pedroso and Sidibe have created a unique performance built on storytelling and cultural collaboration. "Raices et Resistance" features a world-class Guinean/Cuban ensemble of 25 dancers and 15 musicians with traditional costuming from Cuba and Guinea in a performative conversation as Spanish and Malinke lyrics interweave with Cuban and Guinean rhythms. "'Often stories of African and Caribbean nations are predicated on their relationships to the white western world," explains Sidibe. "This project, while attached to the history of colonization and slavery, looks at independent nations carving out their own identities." After French colonization ended in 1958, Guinea elected socialist president Sekou Toure, one of the African continent's prominent independence leaders. Toure aligned closely with Cuba's Fidel Castro and through this alliance came cultural exchange between the two countries. The dance that emerged incorporated elements of Guinean footwork with popular Salsa dance steps. Artists were invited to festivals by the governments of both countries and national music groups in Guinea, like Bembeya Jazz, created music with heavy Cuban influence. "Raices et Resistance" is the final work in Pedroso and Duniya's multi-year performance cycle which began in 2022.