ESIE MENSAH: A CommUNITY Catchup on Movement(s)
Esie Mensah
is an ARTivist.
Esie Mensah is an Artivist that embodies many professional titles; Dancer, Choreographer, Educator, Speaker and Founder of Afrofusion and Black Stars Collective.
A prolific creator and collaborator, you’ve probably seen Esie’s moves, crafted in videos and performances she has choreographed with Rihanna, Drake, French Montana – one of my faves, Yemi Alade – and more. She has worked on projects with festivals like Lumniato, Soulepper Theatre and Shaw, to brands including Coca Cola, TIFF, the ROM + AGO, Raptors, and her latest with The Bentway for It’s All Right Now - a collaboration with BSAM Canada (Black Speculative Arts Movement).
In addition to supporting others, Esie is powerfully rooted in her own work, where she is committed to using Afrofusion, celebrating and exploring personal narratives of her Ghanaian heritage, Blackness, and belonging, and through this has created signature original works, including Akoma, ZAYO (being presented by DanceWorks in spring 2022) and the Dora Award-nominated Shades, a dance/theatre piece that uncovers the process of healing from shadeism/colourism in the Black community. It has been running since 2016, and last October debuted at Fall For Dance North Festival. Recent productions include the Shaw Festivals’ Russian Play and Victory, Soulpepper’s MaRainey’s Black Bottom to Musical Stage Company’s Caroline, or Change, with Jully Black.
Recently Esie and Black Stars Collective (her own community platform) were among the Canadian Contingency who performed at Panafest 2019, a Ghanaian festival that honors the mass tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade. Their performance was received by local chiefs, international dignitaries, and President Akufo-Addo of Ghana. Recently, Esie has spread her wings to explore public speaking, and last year, made a huge appearance at TedXToronto – highly suggest watching the talk here, and in the link below.
Much like many members of the Sonic Fold CommUNITY – those who have been working, from time, to amplify, uplift, explore and create change through various means – I am grateful for this chat with Esie, where we discuss what she has been up to, and how her communication and storytelling through dance has always been potent, but what this potency looks/feels like now, more than ever.
LISTEN via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
WATCH via IGTV
Photo of Esie Mensah by Mikka Gia Photography
CONNECT with Esie Mensah:
Web | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
Read Esie’s feature in The Dance Current: Does hype choreography cloud cultural appropriation?
Learn more about Shades:
WATCH Esie’s TedX Talk: