LA EVENTS: The Essence

The Culture Catalyst, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the perpetuation and preservation of the traditional performing arts of West Africa and its diaspora, has been and is a great support system in the Los Angeles arts community. The Culture Catalyst facilitates workshops, events and performances, and on September 29th and 30th, 2012, will host an exciting debut, The Essence. Choreographed, written, and directed by Kara Mack, The Essence is a unique approach to the retelling of the multiple realities of Africa. For the first time on a Los Angeles stage, dancers and drummers from West Africa, Brazil, Cuba, and the United States will unite for a single purpose. The Essence utilizes traditional African performance genres to convey the historical, cultural, and spiritual connections between the three distinct pieces, appropriately titled “Essence,” “Breakthrough,” and “Liberation.”