THE LEGACY ARTS PROJECT PRESENTS, “DANCE AFRICA PITTSBURGH,” JULY 26-27.
Two-day celebration at New Hazlett Theater
by Naomi C. Ilochi, For New Pittsburgh Courier
Pittsburgh is a stirring, melting pot for African arts, culture and community. These moments in time shape the city and the lives of those who inhabit it for the better. Erin Perry, Executive Director of The Legacy Arts Project, based on Tioga Street in Homewood, is helping keep that pot overflowing with her many works.
The most popular of those works is “Dance Africa,” a now two-day community celebration that honors arts, dance and drumming of the African diaspora. This year, 2025, marks the 13th annual “Dance Africa” in Pittsburgh, but “Dance Africa” originally started in 1977, in Brooklyn, N.Y., by way of founder Charles Rudolph Davis, also known as Dr. Charles “Baba Chuck” Davis. “Dance Africa” was Davis’ idea to bring together all of the vast African drumming and dance ensembles taking place in New York during the late ’70s. This idea was met with such a great community response that it now takes place in six cities, maintaining the legacy of greatness of African people, while celebrating the creative cultural contributions being brought forth.
ERIN PERRY, CENTER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LEGACY ARTS PROJECT
“Dance Africa Pittsburgh” was brought to fruition through the divine connection of “Baba Chuck” Davis and Bob Johnson, founder of The Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble, assembled at the University of Pittsburgh in 1969. Their relationship afforded Sister Linda Imani Starkey Barrett, founder of The Legacy Arts Project, to also build a relationship with “Baba Chuck” Davis. In 2010, “Sister Imani” brought “Baba Chuck” Davis to Pittsburgh for the first “Dance Africa Pittsburgh,” and it has remained a hot commodity since.
This year’s “Dance Africa Pittsburgh” is cranking things up a notch, occurring this Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27 at the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square E, North Side.
“This year’s event is a bit of a mini-festival,” Perry told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “We have a partnership with the Ujamaa Collective to host an outdoor open marketplace taking place on July 26 from noon to 6 p.m. The marketplace will have vendors who are selling their handmade wears as well as performances by local youth groups. It is free and open to the public. We are inviting people to come out and enjoy the festivities.”
“Dance Africa Pittsburgh” will also have workshops taking place facilitated by Legacy’s guest stars like world-renowned master dancer and choreographer Youssouf Koumbassa, and Haitian dancer and choreographer Robenson Mathurin.
Saturday, July 26 will feature two shows, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, July 27 will also feature two shows, again at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. “Show A” will be featured at 3 p.m., July 26 and 7 p.m., July 27. “Show B” will be featured at 7 p.m. July 26 and at 3 p.m. July 27.
“Show A” features Elders Procession, Albafasi, Legacy Arts Project Summer Camp Youth, Dana Movement Ensemble, Hill Dance Academy Theater, Kontara Morphis Dance Collective, and Legacy Arts Community Ensemble.
“Show B” features Elder Procession, Sankofa Village For The Arts, Shades of Black Movement, Kulture Dance Academy, Balafon West African Dance Ensemble, and NAHM Robenson Dance Company.
Celebrating the African diaspora is alive and well in Pittsburgh. The Legacy Arts Project has been in existence since 2004, founded by “Sister Imani.” There’s also, among others, the Kente Arts Alliance, whose mission is to present high-quality art of the African diaspora; Sankofa Village for the Arts, which focuses on teaching young people African dance, drumming, and martial arts; Demeatria Boccella holds her FashionAFRICANA event yearly in Pittsburgh; and Hill Dance Academy Theater, which is celebrating its 20th year in operation in 2025. The University of Pittsburgh has a Department of Africana Studies, Duquesne University has a Center for African Studies, and CCAC has the Ethnic & Diversity Studies department. And walk into the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, and one can find plenty of art and works dedicated to the African diaspora.
But this weekend, it’s all about The Legacy Arts Project. Perry, its executive director, is a mother of three, a dancer with The Legacy Arts Project and “lover of all things beautiful.”
“‘Dance Africa (Pittsburgh)’ is more than just a performance; it’s an awakening,” Perry said in a news release. “It’s a reminder of our shared humanity, a connection to our roots, and a powerful call to move forward with purpose. This event is medicine, and we are dedicated to carrying that healing energy into our community and across the nation.”