Video: Chinyanta Kabaso | The Dazzling Diversity of African Dance

The dazzling diversity of African dance — in 14 moves.

If African culture were a tree, then dance would be its flowers, says choreographer and TED Idea Search winner Chinyanta Kabaso. In a captivating display of both traditional and modern dances, she showcases the beauty of these movements and explains how they reveal the history of migration and shared cultural connections of different ethnic groups across the continent.

Chinyanta Kabaso studies the roots and meanings of traditional African dance styles and performs dances from across the continent. Born in Zambia and raised in Scotland, Kabaso is an alumna of the University of Edinburgh. She worked as a chemical engineer before fleeing to the creative industry to pursue her passion. Among her many roles, she works in dance engagement with the Scottish Ballet, Scotland’s national dance company, where she is dedicated to educating and inspiring more people to dance. She is the recipient of numerous awards and art grants, including from the National Theatre of Scotland and Jerwood Arts.

Music:
West African music provided by Edinburgh University West African Drum & Dance Society

Drumming:
Kuzilia Lukona
Victoria Nsonga

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Running time: 8 minutes

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