1953 - West African Cultural Society of Saka Acquaye
w/ AH, Bobby Crowder, Ione Nash, George Williams & others
see also ~ Saka Acquaye and Wulomei

1954-1959 ~ Saka Acquaye's African Ensemble in America
Gold Coast Saturday Night on Elektra

1955 - 1958 ~ AH in US Army, Special Services, Germany
See The Unvictorious One

1958 ~ Pioneer Katherine Dunham reforms her company and pioneers
Alvin Ailey, Eleo Pomare, and Arthur Hall establish their companies.

Arthur encouraged to investigate African heritage through dance by his mentor Joan Kerr
[Joan Kerr Dancers], an angry woman noted for her foul mouth and powerful modern
choreography rooted in the Yiddish tradition. Arthur's first concert presented by
Joan Kerr at the Phila YWHA at Broad & Pine.

Arthur Hall Afro-American Dance Ensemble began as Sidney King Dancers,
then AADE, then AHAADE.
Still known as Sydney King Dancers "under the direction of Arthur Hall" as late as 1962.
[per Elizabeth Roberts poster]

Repertory generally presented as African Sketches at least into 1970.

16 mm film of this period may exist, specifically 1958 to 1960 Phila broadcast of Adam & Eve.

Chronological Overview

see Collection Logs for detail by year

1962

1965

1966

1967 ~ Bechlch ~ Mojuba

1968 ~ African Press Attaches [State Department] ~ Freedom Now Suite
~ Count Basie ~ Club Harlem ~ Action Summer ~ Jacob's Pillow
~ Dick Gregory ~Africa's Children

1969 ~ College tour ~ Club Harlem ~ Black Book ~ Better Break
~ Temple Music Festival ~ Jacob's Pillow ~ Ile Ife Center opens

1970 ~ Afro-Philadelphian ~ Philadelphia Folk Festival

1972 ~ Ile Ife Museum opens

1973 ~ Ile Ife House of Love ~ Orpheus Obatala & the Philadelphia Orchestra

1974 ~ Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance Festival ~ Company trip to Ghana

1975 ~ A City Called Heaven

1976 ~ Aida

1977 ~ Fat Tuesday & all that jazz ~ Snake Dance Teacher Dance


Milton and Ruby Batiste
photographs, 1977

1978 ~ Eulogy for John Coltrane ~ Philadelphia Bahia

1979 ~ American Dance Festival

1980 ~ Saka Acquaye & Wulomei

1981 ~ People to People founded

1982 ~ Treasures of Ancient Nigeria

1983 ~ Dance Black America ~ 25th Anniversary

1984 ~ Sweet Saturday Night

1985

1986

1987 ~ What's Going On? ~ Oba Koso

International tours

Ghana ~ first tour 1974
Ghana ~ 1985 for American Dance Festival ~ others unkown
Togo
Dahomey
Virgin Islands ~ 11/1974 St. Croix Arts Society
Trinidad
Jamaica
Haiti (Lavinia Williams School) [three tours]
Nigeria
Brazil ~ 1978 ~ Orisun Omi (The Well)
Zaire [American Dance Festival]
Mozambique (December 1985)
Kenya [for City of Memphis, 1989?]
Trinidad
Senegal
South Korea (ADF linkage program, 1991?)

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