'Dhoom Dhamaka!': Shock and awe in dance
Andrea Abney

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Joti Singh's works are usually celebratory and happy. She's a student of Guinean dance and bhangra (a Punjab, India, harvest dance), and her pieces tend to be pretty upbeat.

But then she heard Boynarr Sow's story.

Singh says Sow, a Senegalese drummer and artist who lives in Sacramento, was "abducted" by the Department of Homeland Security and sent to Guantanamo Bay because he was a suspected terrorist. When she heard his story on his return, she asked if he'd like to collaborate on a performance piece based on his experiences.