African Crossroads Confounding preconceptions about Africa contemporary dance.

Dance Umbrella is delighted to announce that this year’s international dance festival features African Crossroads - a two-week presentation across four London venues showcasing 11 African dance artists from Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Congo and Kenya.

African Crossroads celebrates the wealth and variety of emerging dance by a new generation of creators from the urban centres of this enormously diverse continent. All of the works presented are UK premieres and with the exception of festival favourite Vincent Mantsoe, all artists are making their UK debuts. This is the first time that such an ambitious programme of new dance from Africa has been presented in the UK.

African Crossroads runs from 9th to 24th Oct as part of Dance Umbrella 2009

- The Place, Robin Howard Dance Theatre, 17 Dukes Road, London, WC1 @ 8pm. 0207 121 1100
19 & 20 Oct KETTLY NOËL (Mali) & NELISIWE XABA (South Africa) - Correspondances
23 & 24 Oct OPIYO OKACH (Kenya) - shift...centre (Friday 23 @ 7 & 9.30pm and Sat 24 @ 8pm)

- Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, Stratford, London, E15 @ 7.30pm. 0208 279 1015
16 & 17 Oct AFRICAN CURRENTS
KAOLACK (Senegal) - J’Accuse
PAPY EBOTANI (Dem Rep of Congo) - Na Tempo
MICHAEL KOUAKOU (Ivory Coast) - Behind Me
ANDREYA OUAMBA & FATOU CISSE (Senegal) - Contre Poids

- Royal Opera House, Bow St, London, WC2E. 0207 304 4000
Clore Studio @ 7.15pm
9 & 10 Oct Brief Encounter with ……………….
ANDRÉYA OUAMBA (Senegal) & MATTHIAS SPERLING (UK) - Diplomacy 2

Linbury Studio Theatre @ 8pm
9 & 10 Oct VINCENT MANTSOE (South Africa) - Ebhofolo

- Southbank Centre, London, SE1. 0871 663 2517
Purcell Room: @ 6.45pm.
18 & 19 Oct Brief Encounter with NADIA BEUGRE (Ivory Coast) - Un Espace Vide: Moi