ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH
“It is important to maintain and preserve our philosophies, our histories, our culture so that our children can be connected to and rooted in stories that celebrate the morals, intellectual and artistic excellence of African and African-American people.”
- Kesha McKey
Director
KM Dance Project
Ashé Cultural Arts Center's original dance/theater adaptation of THE ORIGIN OF LIFE ON EARTH is multi-disciplinary Big Easy Award winning production which tells the story of how earth and the first people were created, according to the Yoruba Culture of West Africa.
Origin of Life on Earth (photo by Peter Nakhid)
The creation story connects to the African Diaspora, the arrival of West Africans to New Orleans and their legacy in New Orleans culture and tradition. This dance/theater production has a cast that includes master dancers, theater artists and musicians that bring to life this story.
The production combines the elements of the griot (storyteller), a “voichestra” (a vocal orchestra), film and dancers, and uses a concept of storytelling that combines spoken word, images presented from dance and film, as well as live percussion and African drumming.
Origin of Life on Earth (photo by Peter Nakhid)
The script is an adaptation of the book by the same title written by Dr. David Anderson and adapted by New Orleans playwright and director Chakula Cha Jua. The original music is by Lloyd Daly.