“A purely materialistic art would be like a tree which is expected to bear fruit without flowering, and to sacrifice grace and beauty for mere utility.”
(His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I Emperor of Ethiopia, July 23, 1958)
(His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I Emperor of Ethiopia, July 23, 1958)
Movement
As the co-founder of Fore I’m a Versatile Entertainer (F.I.V.E.) Productions LLC, established in 1999, I understand the importance of being knowledgeable in areas outside of performance.
I believe that ‘movement is life’ both metaphorically and literally. Somatically, when the body ceases to move (i.e. the heart no longer pumps blood) then there is no life within the body. Metaphorically movement is engine of cultural progress. In the study movement, ‘the language of dance’ one investigates a cultural awareness of self in relation to others and the environment. For instance, the Civil Rights Movement, Hip Hop, and Ras Tafari are all cultural movements the have significantly influenced my understanding of self. My embodiment knowledge of cultural awareness, and aspiration for cross-cultural understanding, and human equality are very prevalent themes in my artistic practice. This frames my works and my philosophical approach towards movement and its cultural connection. These and other embodied theoretical approaches to dance are employed as part of my teaching philosophy with my students.
I have used my professional experience and international network to promote the depth of Ethiopian Culture to contemporary audiences globally and I have established a connection between HEIs of Ireland, U.S.A. and Ethiopia in order to further this promotion and to advance dance as a profession and an artistic discipline in Ethiopia. Through education, production, and cross-cultural exchange projects I will continue to play a significant role in the development of dance as a profession and as a field of study at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.
I believe that ‘movement is life’ both metaphorically and literally. Somatically, when the body ceases to move (i.e. the heart no longer pumps blood) then there is no life within the body. Metaphorically movement is engine of cultural progress. In the study movement, ‘the language of dance’ one investigates a cultural awareness of self in relation to others and the environment. For instance, the Civil Rights Movement, Hip Hop, and Ras Tafari are all cultural movements the have significantly influenced my understanding of self. My embodiment knowledge of cultural awareness, and aspiration for cross-cultural understanding, and human equality are very prevalent themes in my artistic practice. This frames my works and my philosophical approach towards movement and its cultural connection. These and other embodied theoretical approaches to dance are employed as part of my teaching philosophy with my students.
I have used my professional experience and international network to promote the depth of Ethiopian Culture to contemporary audiences globally and I have established a connection between HEIs of Ireland, U.S.A. and Ethiopia in order to further this promotion and to advance dance as a profession and an artistic discipline in Ethiopia. Through education, production, and cross-cultural exchange projects I will continue to play a significant role in the development of dance as a profession and as a field of study at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.
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MOVEMENT IS A FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF LIFE AND THERE IS A CEREBRAL AND CORPORAL AWARENESS THAT IS DEVELOPED WHEN EXERCISING THE BODY AND MIND. I AM A LIFIST, MEANING THAT I FIND AESTHETIC VALUE IN ALL OF LIFE’S EXPERIENCES, WHICH IS THEN MANIFESTED IN MY PRAXIS AS A MOVEMENT PRACTITIONER. AS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN WHO IS A PRODUCT OF URBAN AMERICAN HIP HOP CULTURE, WITH AN UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN MODERN DANCE FROM THE U.S., YEARS OF LIVED EXPERIENCE IN ETHIOPIA, AND TWO POSTGRADUATE DEGREES FROM IRELAND, I HAVE DIVERSE PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE FROM A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.
MOVEMENT HAS BEEN A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION AND CROSS-CULTURAL EXPRESSION SINCE THE BEGINNING OF HUMAN EXISTENCE, PROVIDING US WITH CREATIVE NARRATIVES ABOUT PEOPLES’ ORIGINS, IDENTITY, EXPERIENCES, AND ASPIRATIONS.
EDUCATION IN THE MOVEMENT ARTS IS INTEGRAL TO ONE’S OVERALL DEVELOPMENT, AND CAN PROVIDE A SPACE TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE IN AN EXPRESSIVE MANNER. THE HISTORICAL STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITIONAL STUDIES OF THE MOVEMENT ARTS HAVE THEIR FOUNDATION IN THE SCIENCES, SOCIAL STUDIES, LITERATURE AND OTHER REALMS OF ACADEMIA.
AS AN ARTS PRACTITIONER AND SCHOLAR, I AM ABLE TO DRAW ON THE PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL CULTURAL CONNECTIONS, WHICH INFLUENCE MY WORK. MY PERSPECTIVE OF THE TIMES IS REFLECTED IN MY PRAXIS AND ADDRESS SOCIAL JUSTICE TOPICS WITH AN OPTIMISM AND HOPE FOR EMBITTERMENT OF CHANGE WITHIN HUMANITY.
EDUCATION HAS BEEN THE KEY THAT OPENED MANY DOORS OF MY LIFE EXPERIENCES. MY GOAL AS AN EDUCATOR IS TO USE THE ARTS AS A PLATFORM TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL FOSTER GROWTH IN THE MINDS OF ALL, INCLUDING MYSELF. THERE IS NO SEPARATION OF FINE ARTS EDUCATION AND OTHER ACADEMIC FIELDS. FOR ME, EDUCATION IS NOT A PRODUCT OF THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM MODEL WHERE TEACHER DICTATES AND STUDENT REGURGITATES, ESPECIALLY WITH TODAY’S NEW CHALLENGES OF VIRTUAL LEARNING. I FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SHARING, WITH EACH STUDENT, MY EMBODIED KNOWLEDGE OF DIVERSE LIVED EXPERIENCES.
WITH MY DIVERSE EMBODIED CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE OF LIVED EXPERIENCES, MY CREATIVE AND EDUCATIONAL PLATFORMS CONTINUE TO BROADEN THE GLOBAL SCOPE OF CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING THROUGH MOVEMENT. I AIM TO BE THE LIVING EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD SO I AM COMPELLED TO NURTURE MY GIFTS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION WHILE ALSO ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO CULTIVATE THEIR OWN.
