Support the making of ZAYO
Donation protected
My name is Esie Mensah and I am a choreographer, dancer, director and TedXSpeaker. How I show up in spaces and all of who I am informs my work, my process. The art I create are my acts of care which are integral to who I am and who I am committed to becoming.
I am seeking assistance from the community as I was recently informed that my request for funding for my latest production, Zayo, was unsuccessful.
ZAYO is a dance/theatre production that has a strong focus on my Afrofusion choreography, storytelling, Afrofuturism and transformation. The journey of ZAYO began in 2018 and despite support over the early years for development from different dance organizations;
dance Immersion, National Arts Centre, SummerWorks Festival, Prismatic Festival, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, we are in need of your help.
My request for funding from the Toronto Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts was unsuccessful as the fee for presentation and rehearsals does not accommodate for my cast of artists. I am looking now to fund this production on my own, so I am seeking support from those within my network in hopes you can make a donation so we can make the journey to the stage.
This new production is made possible with the presentation and development support from the National Ballet of Canada, Citadel et Compagnie, and DanceWorks. I am presenting a 25 minute excerpt of the work and I look forward to sharing ZAYO's development towards the full length production which will be presented in fall 2025.
This new iteration of ZAYO is set to be on stage April 2-7 2024 at Citadel: The Ross Centre for Dance Theatre on Parliament. Our rehearsal period starts on March 18th.
We are asking for help to get over this current obstacle and present this beautiful production of Afrofusion excellence. I am truly excited for everyone to see this work that I've been crafting since November 2023. I am so grateful for ALL the support I have received over the years and thank you in advance for your contribution.
Community, we need you to help!
What will the money be used for?
- The money will be used to pay the artists on the project to be in rehearsal for 11 days, 3 days of tech and 4 shows over the span of 3 weeks starting March 18th until April 7th.
- Cover the cost of original music composition and production created by Kunle.
- The purchase of costumes by me.
- Filming archival footage and videography of the work for future presentations.
The CAST
Choreographer + Director - Esie Mensah
Dancers - Rosie Harbans, Kwasi Obeng-Adjei, Eilish Shin-Culhane, Monique Pascall, Ja Parson
Rehearsal Director - Zahra Badua
Composer - Kunle Chris
The link to purchase tickets is below.
Here is a link to a recent feature from TVO's The Agenda with Steve Palkin
"In a dance of Afro-mythological cultural fusion…Zayo is already a thrilling blend of choreographic content, great music and rich performance detail. How it proceeds from here will be something to see." - NOW Magazine 2018
All of your support would go towards ensuring these artists make their way to the stage!
We thank you deeply!
Every bit counts!
Organizer
Esie Mensah
Organizer
North York, ON