Adugna

Adugna (Ethiopia/UK), 2001 Directed Shot and Edited by Katrina McPherson and Simon Fildes. This documentary celebrates the power of the creative arts by profiling the successful Adugna Community Dance Theatre in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. What began as an experimental project in the streets of Addis Ababa is now a vibrant,internationally acclaimed, success story. It is a story of a struggling urban population and of empowerment; a story of social outreach and advocacy and of feeding skills back into the community. It is the story of young people from the streets of Addis Ababa who are radically changing their lives and the lives of others. This film celebrates the culmination of five years of intensive work by the Adugna dancers under the artistic direction of Royston Maldoom, Mags Byrne and their Anglo-Ethiopian team. Adugna have already achieved a high profile with performances at both local and international level. Adugna demonstrates the tremendous potential not only of Ethiopias youth but of all young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Adugna Community Dance Theatre is testimony to what can be achieved when the creative arts are given a central role in human and social development. The challenge in making these films was to capture the essence of the incredible work being done by Royston, his colleagues and the people they work with. We strove to create two films that contain the factual information that needs to be imparted and whilst at the same time communicate the power and potential of dance as a means of expression and as a tool for social change. Dance United works with marginalised groups and divided communities promoting dance as a means of raising esteem and changing attitudes. The approach is distinctive. The work is with people, not issues, and with individuals, not labels. At the heart of the work is a passionate belief in the power and joy of dance and its transforming potential. Produced by Goat for Dance United ...