Traditional West African Dancer, Afrika Midnight Asha Abney - 05:42, Thursday, March 20, 2008 |
 Afrika Midnight Asha Abney is a Native Washingtonian and an accomplished dancer who is most influenced by Debbie Allen, Dr. Pearl Primus, Melvin Deal, and Katherine Dunham. She specializes in Traditional West African dancing and has studied with various companies specializing in African, South American and Caribbean dance including African Heritage Dancers and Drummers, Memory of African Culture, and Balafon Women's Ensemble. Additionally, Afrika has performed with the following companies which include African Heritage Dancers and Drummers, Memory of African Culture, Balafon Women's Ensemble and Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers.
She has performed at such places as Dynafit Exercise Studio, Mt.Ararat Outreach Center, National Education Association (Washington, DC), Fairmount Heights Municipal Center (Fairmount Heights, MD), Metropolitan AME Church (Washington, DC), Cultural Cafe (Washington,DC), Josephine Butler Community Center (Washington, DC), Ideal Public Charter School (Washington, DC), International Mall ((Washington, DC), Lincoln Theater (Washington, DC), Ballou Senior High School (Washington, DC), MLK Library (Washington, DC), St. Marks Church (Washington, DC), Riverside Baptist Church (Washington, DC), Plymouth Congregational Church (Washington, DC), Capitol Plaza Mall (Capital Heights, MD) , Market 5 Gallery (Washington, DC), Joe's Movement (Mt. Rainier, MD), Malcolm X Park (Washington, DC), Greater Mt Nebo AME Church (Upper Marlboro, MD), Howard University (Auditorium) (Washington, DC), Washington Terrace Hotel (Washington, DC), and Walter Reed's Hospital (Washington, DC). Afrika has also performed in Senegal, West Africa.
Some of her most memorable performances include Greater Mt. Nebo AME Church 2003 Pan - African Festival, Dad-I-Tude Day 2003, 11th Annual Mt. Pleasant Festival,
First Annual International Food Tasting Fest, 2003 African Liberation Day, 2003 Unity in Diversity Day, 2002 Marketplace Festival, 2002 Sixth Anniversary Celebration of Cultural Cafe, and Poetry Extravaganza 2002: A Literary Celebration of the Life and Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Afrika is available for workshops, performances, career seminars or special events and can be reached at Aashawarrior@aol.com
Statement:
Dance is an important expression of life that documents the thoughts, experiences, and traditions of an individual. Dance is beautiful, fundamental and uplifting for the soul.
The dancer frequently is engaged in a dual relationship: one with creation of using arm, feet and hands; rhythms of the drums or other musical instruments; the other with the perceived audience. Allowing the audience to gather its own perspective and to find its own story.
I believe it is truly a blessing to be a dancer, specifically a Traditional West African Dancer.
Traditional West African Dancing comes natural to me.
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