Part 2 of 3 - Afro Urban Dance Workshops Vol. 8

Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. presents Afro Urban Dance Workshops (AUDW) Vol 8: Sabar Traditional and Mbalax and Vogue Femme. A celebration & recognition of popular Afro-Diasporic dances that will allow you to delve deep in movements and education about African traditional, street and social dances contributing to the urban setting of Calgary.

Join us for our eighth installment of our AUDW series highlighting modern dance styles from Africa and the Afro-Diaspora!

We are excited to present these two dance styles to you and can't wait for you to join us!

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

Imania Detry - Sabar Traditional and Mbalax

10 am - 12 pm

Join Imania as she takes you on a journey with experiencing foundational movements from Traditional Mande West African Dances (Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Mali)... to experiencing the similarities through contemporary street styles dances and forms from around the world. Being born and raised in Chicago , Imania connects the Chicago footwork and house movements to similar African movements in an array of different music that includes…Hip hop, Afrobeat(s),Trap, Mbalax , Funk, Chicago Juke, Amapiano, House.

Omari Wiles - Vogue Femme

1pm - 3 pm

Beginners Level breakdown of the Five Elements of Vogue femme. A style of dance that draws from Queer expression from the LGBTQ ballroom community that’s dates back to the 1970’s. Catwalks/ Duckwalks/ Floor work/ Hands performance & Dips. Learn a series of exercises and techniques that will help you better develop your quality of Performance and usage of Elements and personality. Class is lead with a warmup, stretch & series of drills before taking the Elements across the floor!

TICKETS:

One Workshop (Either Sabar Traditional and Mbalaxor OR Vogue Femme): $30

Both Workshops: $50

NOTE: This is one of three AUDW that is happening in July. The other dates are July 15 and 29 and the guests artists are teaching Caribbean Folk, Germaine Acogny contemporary, South African Footwork and Coupé Décalé.

Contact Nicole at [email protected] if you have any questions or for more information.

Imania Detry

Imania Fatima Detry, one of Chicago’s own, performing and teaching artist with a concentration in West African Dance.

With over 20 years of professional training and performance with Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago as a principle artist and as the Assistant Artistic Director of Ayodele Drum and Dance, she truly enjoys and works in the efforts to preserve African dance and culture as well as share her current experiences and style in her teaching and performing.

Her style and experiences have given her the opportunity to work with different artists and platforms including Chance the Rapper, Fatima Robinson, Fox Productions.. and more. Imania has currently been expanding on her choreography with fusing styles that include: Djembe and DounDance, Sabar , House, Chicago Footwork, Afrobeat and Afrobeats.

Omari Wiles

Ousmane Wiles is an African American West African and Vogue dancer. Wiles is best known as, legendary Omari NiNa Oricci, founder of The House of Nina Oricci [est. OCT. 2019] and Creative Director of LES BALLET AFRIK dance company.

Wiles was born in West Africa Senegal. He began his training in West African dance at the age of 6 years old, under the tutelage of his mother and father, who owned a dance company. Wiles joined his mother [Marie Basse Wiles] and father [BaBa Olukose Anthony Wiles] and became the assistant director of the family company, The Maimouna Ketia School of African Dance.

Working with master African dancers, Ousmane evolved the skills needed to teach the art of traditional African dance. Venturing further into the world of dance, Wiles found himself learning, training and falling in love with other styles such as Hip-Hop, House, Modern, Jazz, and Vogue.

Through his involvement with the ballroom scene, his love and passion for Vogue (dance) grew. As his notoriety in the ballroom scene grew, it began to grow outside of the ballroom scene as well. Wiles has had the opportunity to work with many artists, featuring his range of dance.

His choreography has been featured with Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, John Legend, Jidenna, and Rashaad Newsome and he has worked as a featured dancer, showcasing Afrobeats [with Goldlink, Jidenna, Maleek Berry, and Wunmi], West African dance [with Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, and Forces], and Vogue [with Rashaad Newsome, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Jennifer Hudson].

Wiles has been published in Dance Magazine "Top 25 to Watch", Korean Vogue, British Vogue in a spread featuring Naomi Campbell, The Observer, Dance Mogul Magazine, and The New York Times. Wiles also appeared with his house [the house of Nina Oricci] as a contestant on Legendary Season 2 on HBOMax.

Wiles is now evolving his own style of dance with his company LES BALLET AFRIK, blending African, Vogue, Modern, and House as one. He and his company have performed at the Joyce Theater, the Guggenheim, and the New York Metropolitan Museum.

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