About Ballet Afrique Contemporary Dance Company

Ballet Afrique contemporary dance is a professional dance company comprised of talented and passionate artists. We are a fiscally-sponsored member of the Creative Arts Alliance (scroll down to find our profile in the directory) and as such, all donations made on our behalf are fully tax deductible. The company employs a synthesis of ballet and modern and African movement to articulate the human condition and spirit through the unbounded art form of dance. Ballet Afrique’s contemporary dance style depicts the energy and grace inherent in Black cultures and uses the cultural significance of the music as the driving forces behind the company’s movement.

Mission

Ballet Afrique uses dance to build understanding, inspiration and appreciation for the cultures and experiences of the African Diaspora.

History

China Smith, Founding Executive Director of BADAC, felt there was a void in East Austin’s arts community. Being an East Austin native, she wanted to give back to her community, expose children to the arts, and give students the tools they need to succeed in life. Working against stereotypes and misconceptions of African-American culture, the concept of Ballet Afrique was born in 2008 to offer East Austin youth an opportunity to experience the richness of their own culture through the arts alongside other beautiful cultures represented in Austin. From that vision grew BADAC, a positive and nurturing environment that includes a dance academy, a professional dance company, a youth dance ensemble, and community dance classes. The company’s contemporary dance style is heavily influenced by African movement to visually link the music—such as folk, classical jazz, blues, Caribbean, or Afro-Latin—to its African ancestry. The energy and grace inherent in Black cultures, as well as the cultural significance of the music, are the driving forces behind the company’s movement.

THE ARTISTIC VISION OF BALLET AFRIQUE CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY

Ballet Afrique is a professional contemporary dance company comprised of dedicated, passionate, and gifted artists on a quest for technical growth and artistic nourishment. The company employs a synthesis of ballet and modern and African traditional movement to articulate the human condition and spirit through the unbounded art form of dance. Ballet Afrique‘s repertory is built around technical works of dance from local and emerging choreographers.

“Learning expands great souls.”

– Namibian proverb