Tradition meets tragedy in Emakhaya, this year’s version of Kuumba House Dance Theatre’s annual African Heritage Month Dance Concert. Emakhaya, which means “back home,” transports viewers to South Africa and celebrates the nation’s rich tribal heritage through traditional native dance. But the brightly colored festivity can’t obscure the brutal presence of the AIDS virus, which the dance explores as a painful modern threat to a rich past. Dancers will don traditional tribal costumes, and the five-member Kuumba Choral will accompany them with songs about South African culture. A presentation about HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention will follow the dance.
Sat., Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 12, 5 p.m.
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2006.