Award-winning musician, dancer, and choreographer Olivier Tarpaga makes his highly-anticipated Crossing the Line debut with the New York premiere of his joyful and deeply personal work, When Birds Refused to Fly.
Set to a powerful soundtrack by Tarpaga’s father’s band, Super Volta—combining traditional sounds from Burkina Faso and driving contemporary rhythms—the piece compares the hope of independence movements across Sub-Saharan Africa in the 60s to the painful fight for Civil Rights in the United States. Tarpaga has invited four visiting Burkinabe dancers from Ouagadougou to perform When Birds Refused to Fly.
Part of Crossing the Line 2019
“Steeped in social relevance.” — The Pittsburgh Post Gazette
