Dance tradition finds new footing
Loveness Wesa finds plenty of local talent for African troupe
BY ERIC BARTELS
The Portland Tribune, Dec 3, 2004, Updated Oct 30, 2009
Loveness Wesa may be working harder than she ever has. And that’s no small feat.
In Zimbabwe, her own mother doubted she could prevail in the male-dominated entertainment industry Ñ until she became the first successful female theatrical producer in the country. Wesa earned acclaim as a dancer, choreographer and singer, releasing two popular albums.
For her first Portland production, she drew from three African nations and her own adopted Alberta neighborhood to assemble a 22-member cast including members as young as 4 years old.
“I’ve been teaching in pieces,” says Wesa, 31. “I’m doing more than what I’ve done in the past.”
Her talents as a producer and performer will be on display in “Langivela Khona (Where I Come From).” In it, stories of Africans who’ve recently arrived in the United States are animated by the staples of Old World performance: vibrant costumes, ebullient call-and-response song styles and lively dance.
The five adults in the show hail from Senegal and South Africa, in addition to Wesa’s native country. But cultural barriers were overcome.
“They’ve been in this field for a long time,” Wesa says of her fellow performers. “We know we have differences. You just try to listen. There isn’t something where you feel ‘Oh, this guy thinks he’s better.’
“When we came here, we came here mostly for one reason, hoping to improve our lives. We feel we are all the same. Even though there is a difference in language, there is a lot in common.”
Moving to Portland with her American husband two years ago wasn’t easy for Wesa.
“I didn’t want to come to America,” she says. “I was leaving my whole dance troupe and my band. It was hard. My country knew me. Here, not even my neighborhood knows me.”
Wesa set out to work with established artists in Portland, but financial realities slowed her progress.
“With no money, it’s hard to work with professionals,” she says.
She was contacted by the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, a Portland nonprofit, which led her to a surprising discovery. “I saw this big African community; people from Africa directly: Angola, Tanzania, Somalia. I thought, ‘Oh, wow! There’s a lot of Africans here.’ ”
Wesa had worked with children and young people back in Zimbabwe. Here, she thought, was a chance to do that and more. IRCO agreed to provide re-hearsal space for Wesa if she would volunteer with the organization, teaching dance to local kids.
Retaining the name Kgotso African Dance Theatre, the company she founded in Zimbabwe, Wesa put together a troupe.
The majority of the younger performers are children of recent arrivals to the United States. For them, she says, the songs and dances are somewhat familiar. “They don’t feel like ‘Wow, I’m doing something unique,’ ” she says.
But seven of the younger performers are African-Americans several generations removed from their ancestral homes. For them, Wesa says, the traditions of the Old World are entirely new. They are drawn to the dance initially, but a cultural connection soaks in over time.
“I think they are getting to see the world in a different way, think about other parts of the world,” she says. “We sit down and we talk. It makes them more curious to learn.
“They feel ‘Oh gosh, I wish I knew more.’ They say ‘Loveness, I want to go to Africa.’ Maybe they have that feeling maybe one day we’ll go. Sometimes they make me want to cry.”
Wesa brings another African tradition to the troupe’s rehearsals: rigid discipline. “When I teach in the schools, I’m just so sweet, but when I’m into this, I’m a little tough,” she says.
Once rehearsals have ended, Wesa explains her approach to her students. “I tell them, ‘Look guys, I know I’ve been hard on you. I don’t hate you. I want you to be professionals. I want you to be stars. It’s just an hour or two hours. You won’t die.’ ”
In a world of style wars, video games and fast food, Wesa says, that lesson about self-sacrifice is important. “To tell the truth, some of these kids could be in the street right now,” she says. “This program has made a big difference.”
ericbartels@portlandtribune.com
Powered by FireStats
Big things, keep it up u r such an inspirational source to upcoming artists and young girls at large…
i like this and wish iwas also taking party