Asase Yaa Dance Theatre Brings The Revival: DJEMBE In The New Millennium National Concert Tour to Indianapolis

Date and Time

• Friday, May 1, 2026  6:30pm

Location

visit website

Details

Join Bessie Award–winning Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater as they kick off their first national concert tour since 2017 with its production of The Revival: Djembe in the New Millennium, coming to Indianapolis’ Madam Walker Legacy Center.

The Revival is an electrifying production created by master Djembe drummer and choreographer Yao Ababio, founder and Artistic Director of the company. Originally developed in 2010, the production has been newly reimagined for the company’s milestone anniversary. It depicts the transformative influences of West African culture, music, and dance from Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Haiti, and Trinidad on the urban cultural landscape in Bed-Stuy during the early 90s to the present. It also fuses traditional and contemporary music genres and dance styles including Folklore, Djembe, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Rap, and R&B, as well as the song “African Dream,” recorded and performed by Talib Kweli (from his album “Reflections Eternal”), which is a fresh addition to the show.

While the original production took seven years to bring to fruition, The Revival has been in development since last year. The newly revamped production features a live ensemble of six dancers, four master drummers, a balafon player, and a guitarist, new costume designs by Nigerian fashion designer Wunmi of the WowWow by Wunmi line, a live griot performance by Kweku Amankwa Hunter, and a multi-media retrospective tracing the evolution of African diaspora arts in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy community.