Stepbystep
Ethiopian duo uses dance as a tool for social change
Our vision is that dance can be a perfect tool to transform lives, not only in Africa, but around the world.
It’s a frenziedly busy time for the Destino Dance Company. “We are currently implementing a European Union program and half of our staff are out of Addis Ababa on a research trip,” said Marta Romero, associate producer at the company based in the Ethiopian capital. “The program is about traditional dance preservation in Ethiopia and we are traveling to all regions of our country to collect data, photos and videos, so as to publish a book and produce a documentary film that will help us highlight the importance of traditions and dance to keep [our] identity and transform lives.”
In addition, there are equally hectic preparations underway for the first ever dance festival in Ethiopia to be held in October. “Other African and international companies will join us,” Romero said.
She is one of the quartet that forms the core of Destino. In addition to Claire Balbo, also an associate producer and involved in fund-raising, the other two are Addisu Demissie, the company’s manager, and Junaid Jemal Sendi, the artistic director, who are also the bedrock on which Destino has been built. 12, Sendi was 10.
The production, Ganberg says in the book, “helped give people a sense of identity … it helped people achieve something where maybe they had never felt that they had achieved anything before. They began to feel valuable as they discovered their self-worth.” Later, 18 out of the 120 were chosen for further training by Uk-based dance company Dance United in partnership with Ethiopian Gemini Trust, an NGO, and were taught contemporary dance, Ethiopian traditional dance and African drama. The five-year training led to a graduation certificate from Middlesex University, performances in different parts of the world and finally, the launch of the Destino Dance Company in 2014.
“We use dance to promote social change,” Destino’s mission statement says. “We believe dance can be a perfect tool for giving opportunities to young people who have none. We were lucky to be given a chance 20 years ago … Our mission is to use dance to transfer what we learnt and transform the lives of other young boys