Two decades in, the University of Oregon’s Dance Africa program is still going strong under the vision of company director Rita Honka.

The UO will present the annual Dance Africa winter concert on Jan. 23, 24, and 25 at 8 p.m. in the Dougherty Dance Theatre at Gerlinger Annex on the UO campus, offering Willamette Valley dance enthusiasts a unique opportunity to explore multiple cultures of Africa through their traditional dances.

Concert tickets cost $10 for general admission and $5 for student and seniors, and are available in advance from the UO Ticket Office, 541-346-4363. Tickets may be available at the door except in the case of a sold out performance.

The 2014 concert, which will utilize more than 20 dancers and drummers, will also rely heavily on the talents of new UO faculty member Habib Iddrisu, who has created a new work for the company. Iddrisu, a traditionally trained dancer, musician, and historian from Northern Ghana, was born into a family of court historians and musicians of the Dagbamba/Dagomba people. Iddrisu has toured the world extensively with traditional singing and dance groups. He holds a doctorate from Northwestern University, and master's and bachelor's degrees from Bowling Green State University.

The event will also incorporate dances from distinct cultural groups throughout Africa, including the Tonga and Chewa peoples of Malawi, the Mande people of West Africa, and the Bassar people of central Togo.

Highlights will include “Gandza,” a dance of the Mbgaka people of the Central African Republic, which is danced by 8-year-old boys before they go off to traditional school for four years to become men; and “Sosoner,” choreographed by company director Honka, which is traditionally danced in full moonlight by young girls of the Baga culture of Guinea out of respect for their mothers.

- by Aaron Ragan-Fore, UO School of Music and Dance