Africa Dances

Nothing gets your blood pumping faster than a little African dancing and drumming. Doesn’t matter if you’re on the stage or in front of it – by the time the drums start talking and the dancers start whooping and leaping, you’ll be ready to credit the Africans for inspiring the bulk of American culture, roots or otherwise: blues, rock and roll, jazz, swing dancing, break dancing, rap, and heck, why not bluegrass? Some of the area’s best West African dancers and drummers (and special guests from Ghana) keep the fire hot and the momentum going each year during the annual BaoBao Festival, a Boulder-based cultural extravaganza with performance forays into other communities, which celebrates its sixth anniversary over the next few days.

The main events this year include a free, informal fashion show, which combines both traditional costumes from several African nations and modern African-inspired garments on the runway, all to the relentless beat expected by BaoBao Fest-goers, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Boulder Broker Inn Restaurant, 555 30th Street, as well as two main performances in Denver and Boulder. West African dancing, drumming, music and storytelling, featuring the members of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble, Boulder Pan African Ensemble and Streetside Hip Hop Dance Troupe will dance up a storm March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Denver School of the Arts, 7111 Montview Boulevard; tickets, $10 to $15 (or free for children under age 10), are available at the door. On Friday evening, two live bands, including Afro-salsa fusion artist Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, will perform at a Carnival Africa, a benefit for nonprofits working in Africa co-hosted by BaoBao Fest and Sante Natural. The all-ages party, complete with African eats, dancing, film screenings, workshops and more, rages from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the St. Julien Hotel, 900 Walnut Street, Boulder. Go to www.santenatural.org to reserve tickets, $10 to $25. The fest finally wraps up with a second performance at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th Street, Boulder; for tickets, $15 to $19 (children under age 10 also free), visit www.bouldertheater.com or call 303-786-7030.

It’ll make you feel like dancin’ – extreme dancin’, that is, assuming you’re not too exhausted: For complete details, surf to www.baobaofest.org.
March 4-7, 2009