Bankye is an African dance of unity
BU’s Dance Theatre Group performed Bankye, a Ghanian dance in celebration of life, as part of the University’s Martin Luther King Day commemoration on January 16.
The dance was choreographed by Amber Held (UNI’06), a member of the Dance Theatre Group, who recently spent a semester studying in Africa. She met several musicians there from the Berklee College of Music, who played the music for this event. The circular patterns that pervade the Bankye dance are symbols of unity, according to the dancers.
To watch a 7-minute video of the performance, click here.
Choreographer: Amber Held
Dancers: Karesia Batan, Erin Buckmiller, Sabrina Carrié, Dorothy
DiPascali, Leslie Griffin, Amber Held, Amyko Ishizaki, Kira Klapper,
Jesse Lichtenstein, Sasha Lynn, Courtney Wagner, and Sasha Yakhkind
Drummers: Brian Nelson, Brendan Finnegan, and David Lagueux
Photos by Vernon Doucette. Video by BU Productions.