On Tour and In Residence July – December 2023

For its seventh edition, Center Stage, the program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), will host music and dance artists from Ethiopia, the Philippines, and South Africa in the U.S. from July-December 2023.

Five groups will make independent month-long performance tours to U.S. communities from coast to coast. Two groups will participate in a new Artists in Residence program designed to deepen creative practice and build peer relationships and professional networks.

Through in-person engagements and virtual interactions, these ensembles will meet with communities across the U.S. via performances, workshops, talk back sessions, artist-to-artist jams, shared meals, and other activities. Lisa Booth Management, Inc. (LBMI), which has served as Center Stage’s general manager since the program’s inception in 2012, will craft and organize the community residencies that make up each tour. Engagements are being scheduled now.

Meet the Seven Ensembles of Center Stage Season 7

ENSEMBLES ON TOUR Independent month-long tours with multi-day performance residencies across the U.S.

BCUC – Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness (Soweto, South Africa)

Ethiocolor (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Garage Dance Ensemble (O’Kiep, South Africa) U.S. Debut 

Helobung (Lake Sebu, Philippines)

Nomfusi (Johannesburg, South Africa) U.S. Debut 

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE Two-week intensives deepen creative practice and expand professional connections

Ethio Classic Quartet (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Tanghalang Pilipino (Pasay City, Philippines)