BA, Grand Valley State University. MFA, Sarah Lawrence College. Born in Tsévié, Togo, and raised in Togo, Ithaca, NY, and Flint, MI, Akoko Tete-Rosenthal is an artist and performer based in New York City. She began her formal dance training in Flint through a youth ballet company. Later, as an independent study student at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance, she was introduced to traditional Guinean and Senegalese dance forms—which molded her choice of study for the next 10 years. She now performs as an independent artist and has worked with companies such as the Maimouna Keita Dance Company and Fusha Dance Company and tours internationally with Gala Rizzatto. Her performance work is rooted in a traditional and contemporary West African dance, influenced by classical and modern aesthetics. SLC, 2023–
Undergraduate Courses 2023-2024
Dance
West African Dance
Component—Spring
This course will use physical embodiment as a mode of learning about and understanding various West African cultures. In addition to physical practice, supplementary study materials will be used to explore the breadth, diversity, history, and technique of dances found in West Africa. Traditional and social/contemporary dances from countries such as Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast will be explored. Participation in end-of-semester or year-end showings will provide students with the opportunity to apply studies in a performative context.