Colombian dance company Sankofa Danzafro brings their electrifying and socially charged work, The City of Others (La Ciudad de los Otros), to Vancouver for the first time. Presented by DanceHouse in partnership with Blackout Art Society and the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre, this powerful performance will take the stage at the Vancouver Playhouse on February 21 and 22.
Blending contemporary dance with Afro-Colombian rhythms, The City of Others is a bold exploration of identity, resilience, and the fight for collective belonging. Rooted in personal experiences of exclusion and prejudice, the work envisions a metropolis transformed—one where community and equality take center stage. In this exclusive Q&A, we dive into the creative process, the impact of movement as resistance, and the message Sankofa Danzafro hopes to share with audiences. —Noa Nichol
What inspired Sankofa Danzafro to create The City of Others, and how does it reflect the personal experiences of the performers? Additionally, the piece draws from Colombia’s history and the 159th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. How does this historical context shape the narrative of The City of Others?
To commemorate the 159 years of the abolition of slavery in Colombia, in 2009 we created the work “The City of Others” with the purpose of showing that slavery has not disappeared but rather evolved. We, as racialized black people, have experienced racism firsthand; These traumatic experiences have served as input for us to communicate to the public what is wrong in today’s society, where oppression persists due to skin color and ethnic origin. In the work, we denounce the social injustices that affect us, the lack of opportunities and inequality. However, we also celebrate the struggles we have faced, highlighting that by working together and in the community, we achieve collective well-being. This is one of the messages we wish to convey to society in general: when we break with individualism and recognize that we are part of an expanded humanity, the city transforms into an inclusive space that respects cultural diversity without fear of others.
The work explores themes of exclusion, loneliness, and prejudice in urban life. What message do you hope audiences take away about transforming cities into spaces of inclusion and belonging?
Cities are home to countless people, with diverse ethnicities and genders; Breaking stereotypes is not an easy task. Furthermore, the routine imposed by capitalism tends to isolate people even more, plunging them into a state of loneliness where it seems that there is no one to count on. The sense of community is diluted, and the individual becomes the protagonist. From peasant, indigenous and black worldviews, the self is defined through the other. This philosophy is urgent and must be integrated into the human design of our cities.
How do traditional Colombian songs and contemporary dance forms intersect in The City of Others to create a unique artistic expression?
From our perspective and artistic work, we consider that traditional artistic manifestations are, in themselves, contemporary; They are updated to the extent that they can address the problems and needs that we face today. For black communities, singing, percussion and dance are a single root, flowing in an integrated way and without the dichotomy that the West has established between the traditional and the contemporary. We are interested in recognizing the origin and essence of what we are, understanding that we speak a current language.
The performance incorporates live and recorded music, as well as high-energy techno beats. How does the music amplify the storytelling and themes of the production?
It is essential for us to promote dialogue between the local and the global. Today, we have access to a diversity of distant cultural manifestations that we can explore with ease. This does not mean replacing our own cultural knowledge, but rather finding ways to inhabit a global world and make our discourse reach new dimensions, without losing our essence. At the same time, we seek to build aesthetic and cultural bridges through the sound experiences that human beings generate in different corners of the planet.
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