Lives transformed through dance
In May British Council Ethiopia, in collaboration with The Ethiopian Gemini Trust, presented a special dance performance to mark the 75th and 25th anniversaries respectively of the two organisations.
Destino was originally staged with Sadler’s Wells in London in March. The three performances on 21 and 22 May at The National Theatre in Addis Ababa were a complete sell out.
Billed as 'from street to stage - lives transfomed through dance' the group includes Junaid Jemal Sendi and Addisu Demissie, two Ethiopians who 12 years ago were living in the slums of Addis Ababa but are now on the brink of international stardom.
‘The Destino journey is one of empowerment and social outreach demonstrating that if young people are given the opportunity, enormous talent and potential can be unleashed’, said Barabara Wickham, Director of British Council Ethiopia. ‘Lives can be changed for the better through the power of dance’.
The production at The National Theatre in Addis Ababa featured dance works from leading international choreographers Hofesh Schechter, Russell Maliphant and Adam Benjamin as well as Junaid Jemal Sundi.
‘In addition to the dancers that toured the UK, it was a real privilege for us to have the world premiere of Wekt, a dance featuring 50 professional and non-professional dancers, including dancers from the only mixed ability group of dancers in Ethiopia, the Adugna Potentials,’ said Barbara Wickham.
'This was a remarkable story of home coming and completion, a story about how dance builds bridges across cultures.'
