The Ezibu Muntu African Dance Co. had its audience -- from toddlers to grandparents -- on their feet, clapping and swaying to an upbeat tempo yesterday at the Children's Museum of Richmond.
The performance was part of Black History Month, and about 10 dancers captured the beat and moves of their ancestors and taught their audience about the world's second-largest continent.
"We want to connect back to our ancestors," Faye Walker, the group's artistic director and matriarch, said in a dressing room before the performance.
Every dance from ballet to the Charleston, hip hop and skanky leg is rooted in African dance, she said.
Some people think African dance has no structure or technique, she said. But every movement is choreographed and carries a message, she said.
"It's about living, working and loving in the community," Walker said.
That message could portray a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood. Or it could be a welcome with kind words and an open heart and mind, as these smiling dancers showed the audience through their movements.
"We want to show honor, grace, love and respect for you," Walker told the audience.
"I loved the complexity, beauty and elegance of the dance," said Shawri King-Casey of Richmond, whose four children, ages 9, 7, 4 and 2, came to the performance.
Kanika Moore, who danced with the group as a child, brought her 19-month-old daughter as an initiation of sorts.
"I wanted to introduce it to my baby," she said, as Sanaa cuddled against her chest.
"Sanaa," she said, "means work of art in Swahili."
The dance group, a nonprofit, was founded in 1973. It is made up of about 25 people, all in school or with jobs, Walker said.
The group has performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and it appeared in the Dave Matthews Band video of "Stay," which was filmed in part in Church Hill.
The group is struggling to keep its studio open at 418 E. Main St., Walker said. The public is invited to come dance for free with the group on the first Tuesday of every month from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
And no, one doesn't have to be black to join, Walker said.
"We are always trying to recruit people and find sponsors," she said.
For details, call Reneé Knight at (804) 266-5428.
Contact Carol Hazard at (804) 775-8023 or chazard@timesdispatch.com.
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