2021
"Africa's Abundant"
Africa's Abundant
Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen
Join us for an Unmasking, healing, exploration, and discovery of how abundant Africa truly is in the ancestral lands of Guinea and Detroit. Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen invites you to witness some of her most life changing and restorative moments of her recent travel experiences in Guinea, West Africa with world renowned West African dancer Moustapha Bangoura, as she makes spiritual connections in the Baga Village of Kifinda, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and the ever-evolving city of Conakry. You are invited to witness this abundance with an open heart, and an open mind. Ase Ooo!
2021
"Attention"
A screen dance exploration in Paris, France at the Charles de Gaulle Airport.
2020
"GET UP, STAND UP An Unmasking Movement Experiment"
"Anything can happen in Miami as I prepare to explore the city and trace its roots in African and Haitian dance, alongside world-renowned artists like Colette Eloi and David Durosier. As I delve into this vibrant culture and connect with new friends, we all unite through rhythm and movement, a healing force for the collective soul."
2020
"Collective Healing Sessions Hood Closed to Gentrifiers Addition"
This is what happens when the North End Detroiters come together through an Unmasking of Thyself, healing vibrations, cowbells, and collective UNITY. We transform space and ascend HIGHER TOGETHER. You know they say love and healing vibrations are the cure to the Corona Virus...
2020
"Mind, Body, and Spirit through Dance"
"Mind, Body, and Spirit through Dance": is a black dance documentary film that shines light on my experience as an MFA student teaching the first West-African dance course offered at the University of Michigan while taking Dunham technique with Madam Penny Godboldo Fall semester 2019. With the ambition to conduct deeper investigations this documentation shows both these dance techniques have been crafted for the mind, body, and spirit of the dancer. As innovations are made in the predominate white space at U of M, you will see interviews and hear the voices of Madam Godboldo, students, dancers, and musicians in regard to their experience with the Dunham technique and West-African dance. From the words of the late Baba Tahuti AnkhmenRa Amen "It is important that we as African Americans document everything that we do in order to shift the negative narratives that have been used against us to disband, discriminate, and objectify us."
2019
"An Honoring of Thyself"
Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen, Choreographer, and Curator
Ni'Ja Whitson, Faculty Advisor
An Honoring of Thyself is an extended celebration of the life of Baba Tahuti AnkhmenRa Amen. Through a series of dance and music traditions composed of diverse cultural backgrounds, we discover the many ways we come to honor our ancestors the ones who guide, protect, teach, and love us.Special Guest Artists: Marwan Amen-Ra, Ayesha Barnardo, Bara M' Boup, Lusiganan Bastien, Betti Johnson-Guerra, Akinlana Kwesi Williams, Ran Tan, and Azteca Xochipilli
Dancers: Nikki Altidor, Nohely Gomez-Arroyo, Itztli- Xochitl Arteaga, Jazz Daughtrey, William Feldon, Selom Gbewonyo, Jahzara Garbutt, Samuel Briseno-Jimenez, Stella Ohakamnu, and Xaier Patrick
2018
"Journey Back 2 Africa"
Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen receives a blessing of a lifetime she journeys back to the motherland to study traditional West-African dance and music. During her journey, she finds a true sense of self by connecting with the people and the environment. She dedicated her entire trip to pay homage and honor to her father the late Tahuti AnkhmenRa Amen.
2018
"The SuNu Legacy"
Independent Study Film Project
Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen, Director & Choreographer
The SuNu Legacy is an independent mini-doc curated by Imani Ma'at AnkhmenRa Amen. This project explores the rich West African dance and drumming community that is known to UCR's dance department. This documentary shares the personal testimonies of new generation dancers and how they embodied and honored the legacy of SuNu through story-telling, song, and dance. Through their uplifting venture, they make discoveries about their ancestry while becoming the first group of students to present a traditional West African dance piece in the annual UCR is Dancing cohort concert.
2016
"A Message to the Oppressor"
Imani Ma'at's screen dance creation, "A Message to the Oppressor," is a profound embodiment of resistance and remembrance. This poignant piece features her original spoken word, crafted as a poignant letter confronting the oppressors responsible for sowing hardship and hatred worldwide. Draped in all white, Imani's movements pay homage to the dignity and resilience of her honorable ancestors.
Set to a remixed rendition of Nina Simone's haunting "Strange Fruit," the choreography becomes a powerful narrative. Tribal marks adorning her face signify the enduring strength and ancient lineage of African heritage. With a noose around her neck, the performance solemnly honors the African and African American lives lost to the brutalities of lynching and racism throughout history.
This visceral and artistic medium echoes a resounding message—a call for recognition, remembrance, and an unwavering demand for justice in the face of systemic oppression. "A Message to the Oppressor" stands as a moving testament to the perseverance and strength of those who have suffered, creating a powerful dialogue through dance, music, and spoken word. Imbued with profound symbolism and emotional depth, this piece invites contemplation and reflection on the enduring legacy of resilience and the urgent need for societal transformation.