ADAD's newest publication Voicing Black Dance, The British Experience: 1930s to 1990s is now available for sale. The book gives insight into the hidden history of Black Dance artists in the UK. Below is an excerpt from one of the articles in the book, written by Funmi Adewole:
Arguably one of the strongest influences on the development of African dance in Britain was the show Ipitombi. The show opened in Johannesburg in 1974, produced by Bertha Engnos and her daughter Gail Lakier with choreography by Shelia Warski. The company graced theatres in London’s west end and toured Britain for at least eight years. According to the producer Ray Cooney in his programme notes for the show in 1977, Ipitombi was one of the top twenty musicals of the era along with My Fair Lady and Annie Get Your Gun. After leaving the company, Chief Dawethi, who was part of the Ipitombi cast, joined Adzido Pan-African Dance Ensemble. These shows sometimes attracted protesters as they were produced by white producers during the apartheid regime in South Africa. When Ipitombi closed several dancers set up their own small companies which performed up and down the country. There were also several other shows from South Africa that toured England in the 1970s which used traditional dance such as Kwazulu.
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