CAMBRIDGE – On Nov. 1, Dorchester Center for the Arts will proudly host world-renowned dancer/choreographer and teaching artist Kwame Shaka Opare as artist-in-residence for the day. Shaka will be leading a day-long professional development session for teachers of Dorchester County Public Schools.

Following that will be “The Percussive Dance Workshop for Middle and High School Students,” from 5:30-7 p.m. Both activities take place in the George B. Todd Performance Hall.
Shaka will teach percussive dance sequences derived from his years as lead cast member of the hit Broadway show “STOMP” and his extensive work choreographing South African Bootdance and other forms of percussive dance.

There is no charge for this youth workshop, but registration is requested. Please register online at dorchesterarts.org or call 410-228-7782.
As part of his artist-in-residency day, Shaka will also participate in a dinner and conversation gathering at RAR from 4-5 p.m., between the two dance sessions. The public is invited to attend; purchase a meal and share creative conversation during this special opportunity.

Kwame Shaka Opare is a classically trained West African dancer with an MFA in dance from the University of Maryland. In addition to eight years in the lead role and rehearsal director for the Broadway show “STOMP,” Shaka has created critically acclaimed works that speak to social issues, including his award-winning choreography Sweet Suite Nina, about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the people of New Orleans and the Gulf region.

Kwame Shaka was named Brooklyn Academy of Music’s inaugural recipient of the Baba Chuck Davis Emerging Choreographer Fellowship. With the fellowship, he spent over three months studying, documenting, performing and choreographing with the National Dance Company of Ghana and at the University of Ghana, Legon. Kwame Shaka used his expertise as a photographer to create a short documentary film that would accompany his live performance.

For more information about these and additional programs and events at DCA, visit dorchesterarts.org or stop by 321 High St. in Cambridge. As the designated County Arts Council for Dorchester County, DCA is committed to increasing access to the arts for all members of the community by supporting extensive outreach and educational opportunities in the arts.

DCA is currently open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday noon-8 p.m., and Second Saturdays 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. For the latest updates, find us on Facebook. Programs at the Dorchester Center for the Arts are supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.