Béatrice Kombe Gnapa

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Béatrice Kombe Gnapa (April 6, 1972 – February 21, 2007) was a dancer and choreographer from the Ivory Coast. She was considered a leading figure in modern experimental dance in Africa.[1][2]

The daughter of a teacher of traditional dance, she was born in Touba. From an early age, she performed in traditional African dance groups. Gnapa formed the all-woman dance company TchéTché with dancer Jeety Lebri Bridgi in 1997. Her choreography was based on traditional dances which were given a contemporary interpretation. Her company TchéTché gave an award-winning performance at the Concours international de danse africaine in 1999. In the same year, the company performed at the Festival international de nouvelle danse in Montreal. Gnapa danced a duet with Nadja Bengré at the Rencontres chorégraphiques de l'Afrique et de l'océan indien in Paris in 2006. She had been a guest teacher in the theater and dance department at the University of Florida each year since 2002.[2][1][3][4]

Her work was awarded the Prix découvertes RFI in 2000, the Prix Unesco at the  [fr] in 1999 and a prize at the Rencontres chorégraphiques d'Afrique et de l'océan Indien in 2001. Her company appeared in the 2002 documentary African Dance : Sand, Drum and Shostakovich by Ken Glazebrook and Alla Kovgan. Gnapa appeared in Joan Frosch's 2006 documentary Movement (R)evolution Africa.[4]

She died in Abidjan from kidney failure at the age of 34.[2] Her company had just completed its second tour in the United States.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Béatrice Kombe Gnapa, chorégraphe". Le Monde (in French). March 1, 2007.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Gnapa Béatrice Kombé, Choreographer, Dies at 35". New York Times. February 28, 2007.
  3. ^ "Gnapa Beatrice Kombe, African dancer, dies". United Press International. March 1, 2007.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Béatrice Kombe-Gnapa". Jeune Afrique (in French). March 13, 2007.
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