Temps d’Afrique (TDA), an African dance team at Hopkins, presented Year of the Beat at Shriver Hall on Saturday night. Year of the Beat, the group’s first solo showcase, was a joyful celebration of five years of performing as an independent student group. The group began as a part of the African Students Association as ASA Dance and was officially recognized as an independent student group in 2011.
The event was free and open to both Hopkins students and the public and showcased TDA’s past, present and future. Their collaboration with other Hopkins dance groups infused many African dance styles into the performance, which emphasized the spread of African culture throughout the world.
Temps D’Afrique created a series of psychedelic and high-tech visuals for the showcase. During three of the dances, the group performed in front of colorful, futuristic projections. A Creative Use of Technology Grant from the Digital Media Center (DMC) that allows Hopkins students to explore human interaction with technology allowed the group to get a powerful projector system that projected these designs upon the back wall of the stage during the performance.
On the event’s Facebook page, the members of TDA shared their pride at five years of energetic performances and team bonding. The group also posted profiles and quotes from members of the dance group, sharing why they enjoy being a part of TDA and how it has impacted their lives at Hopkins. Each member also spoke about why they were excited to perform on Saturday and wrote of the hard work that they put into the performance.
One of the group’s two captains, senior Ohemaa Kwakyi, shared why she felt Year of the Beat would be a can’t-miss experience.
“It’s our first independent dance showcase and we are ready to burn Shriver’s stage. Everyone deserves to experience the high energy and versatility we are bringing to stage, on our own and with our collaborating and guest performers,” she wrote on the page.
Senior Marlene Kanmogne, the team’s co-captain, described her immense pride in her team, African dance and the show itself.
“This show was the culmination of months of hard work by an extremely dedicated team; a team I could not be more proud of. We hoped to showcase the beauty of African dance, as well as pay homage to both the diversity and unity of the African Diaspora,” Kanmongne wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “People often ask me why, even after graduating, I still give so much of my time and effort to this team. The simple answer is that we are family, and you do everything for your family.”
One of the members of TDA, sophomore Colette Aroh, described on the event’s Facebook page why she enjoys being a member of the dance team.
“TDA isn’t just a team, it’s a family. From my strong and intelligent aunties and uncles who offer advice on life, classes and Hopkins to my energetic and hilarious little brothers and sisters, I’ve found the group of people who I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life,” she said in a quote on the facebook page.
The show began with an introduction that included clips from some of TDA’s first performances and testimonials from the group’s alumni. TDA’s first dance of the night featured choreography from the early years of the group as a tribute to their anniversary.
Les Hommes D’Afrique, a small, all-male group from Towson University’s African Diaspora Club, performed next. After this performance, contemporary and jazz group Jaywalk Dance Group came onstage.
After the intermission, VIVAZ Performing Arts Company, a Caribbean dance group, performed next in a lively collaboration. Slam, a hip-hop dance group, nearly filled the stage with their numerous dancers. Eruption Step Team, a newly-created dance group at Hopkins, performed a lively, intricately choreographed step routine that was followed by a joint performance between TDA and ¡Baila!, a Latin dance team.
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