In 2019, Kenya Joy Gibson, the Founder and Artistic Director of TORCH Dance Theatre, traveled to Ghana and immediately felt at home. The Ghanaian community welcomed her with kindness, openness, and friendliness, making Gibson feel accepted, acknowledged, and included. Their warmth and strong sense of community inspired Gibson to turn her experience into a new dance piece titled “Home from Home,” which will premiere at The JCE Jazz Dance Project this April.
Through this piece, Gibson hopes to invite audience members to celebrate the diaspora experience and the beauty of Ghanaian culture. “When I went to visit Ghana, for the very first time, my first time ever on the continent of Africa. It was a special time… when I went there, I immediately felt home, like at home, even though it was a new experience. For me, I felt that connection. And I want to give a glimpse to the audience, what it’s like to step into that space for the first time.” Said Gibson.
Home from Home will be performed by twelve dance artists to jazz music infused with a traditional aesthetic. “The music is a fusion of traditional and jazz music,” explained Gibson. The audience will notice a predominant use of earth tones and patterns, with an abundance of greens, oranges, and deep reds. Gibson aims to bring the vibrant earth-tone colors she observed in Ghana onto the stage, creating a visually rich and more authentic representation of the culture. “I am being very picky about the details this time.”
Gibson’s work is influenced by a diverse array of styles and techniques. Starting at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, known for its innovative blend of classical ballet and African cultural influences, Gibson has a strong foundation in both technical ballet and the expressive styles of African-American dance. She later studied the Graham technique during her high school career and continued expanding her movement vocabulary to include West African dance as well. By drawing from this diverse range of influences, Gibson creates choreography that is both technically proficient and emotionally resonant, using movement as a means of storytelling to engage audiences with narratives that reflect the African diaspora experience and legacy. “The choreographers that I worked with or teachers that I have worked with, always made sure that we were telling our story from our perspective and our lens. So that is what shaped my choreographic style,” said Gibson.
Home from Home is different from Gibson’s previous piece for JCE, Let the Good Times Roll. Let the Good Times Roll was a tribute to New Orleans culture as well as a tribute to Gibson’s Great Cousin, Doratha “Dodie” Smith- Simmons who was one of the first Freedom Riders and founding member of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Let the Good Times Roll is characterized by its upbeat and unmistakably “strictly jazz” dance style. In contrast, Home from Home takes a different approach to jazz dance. Here, Gibson moves away from focusing solely on the technical aspects of jazz dance and instead emphasizes the art of storytelling. In this piece, the essence of jazz infuses the narrative, enriching the choreography with its spirit and vitality. By prioritizing storytelling over technical precision, Gibson invites the audience to engage with the emotional depth of the narrative, allowing the dynamic and expressive nature of jazz to unfold organically.
Over the past three years, Gibson’s focus has been on delving into the history of the region, particularly concerning topics such as the African slave trade and its impact on both the continent and the New World. Gibson has found that learning about these subjects directly from the source adds a significant layer of depth and value to her understanding. While there is nothing inherently wrong with learning from secondary sources, hearing firsthand insights provide a unique perspective that enhances her appreciation for the complexities of history and its relevance to contemporary issues. This allows her to expand her artistry and ability to approach her creative process from a place of knowledge and experience.
Home from Home is crafted with love and is intended to be shared as an expression of love for this country. Gibson hopes to create a space where the audience can immerse themselves in Ghanaian culture and revel in the joy of friendship through this performance. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this heartfelt production at the upcoming JCE Jazz Dance Project this April.