On a humid night in 1958, the sea around St. Kitts refuses to sleep. A group of Black sailors, stranded after a storm, step ashore to dance, argue, and dream their way through a long, restless night. In their laughter and longing lives the pulse of an entire generation — the Windrush generation — searching for freedom on the edges of empire.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Fall for Dance North’s artist-in-residence, Esie Mensah, leads a transformative season that celebrates the emotional depth and cultural power of Afrofusion. Her latest works embody the movement of healing, unity, and self-discovery.
This fall, Toronto’s Fall for Dance North (FFDN) festival has become the stage for an extraordinary artistic journey led by choreographer and storyteller Esie Mensah, the festival’s 2025 Artist-in-Residence. While her AFROFUSION: Signature Programme 1 has already left audiences inspired, the festival continues until October 26, culminating in her upcoming installation-style performance Up Next on October 25 and 26 at OCAD University.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Music
Nigerian-born, Canadian-based artist Nonso Amadi continues to redefine Afro-R&B with bold new projects, cultural storytelling, and community-driven work. His new EP To Cry A Flood, CBC debut on Locals Welcome, and his Hills Foundation charity reveal a multifaceted artist shaping music and culture across continents.
When you sit down with Nonso Amadi, you immediately feel the weight of someone who is both grounded in tradition and constantly pushing musical boundaries. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and now based in Canada, the JUNO-nominated artist has been praised by Billboard, Complex, and MTV as a vanguard of Afro-R&B. With more than 100 million streams to his name, Amadi is embarking on an exciting new chapter in his career—one that seamlessly weaves together music, culture, and community impact.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Mirrors, music, and daring props reshape how audiences watch dance. A Toronto-based choreographer pairs stagecraft with joy, entrepreneurship, and Ghanaian roots.
The last week of August saw Toronto audiences encounter something unusual on stage: dancers moving with mirrors, ski boots strapped to boards, and reflections bouncing back into the house. At dance: made in canada/fait au canada (d:mic/fac), choreographer Vania Dodoo-Beals and collaborator Carleen Zouboules premiered Fragments of Perception, a piece that pushed audiences to question what they were really seeing. While the show has already closed, its ideas continue to resonate—about perception, play, and presence.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Choreographer Reequal Smith on Caribbean Flamingo, blending Afro-Caribbean dance with advocacy, resilience, and building Oshun Dance Studios in PEI.
In this episode of Afropolitan Dialogues, we sit down with Reequal Smith, a Bahamian-born, PEI-based choreographer and founder of Oshun Dance Studios. Her latest work, Caribbean Flamingo, recently featured at dance: made in canada / fait au canada Festival 2025, fuses Afro-Contemporary, jazz, and Caribbean folk traditions. Inspired by The Bahamas’ national bird, nearly driven to extinction, the piece embodies resilience, cultural reclamation, and rebirth. Beyond her choreography, Smith is a cultural leader, community advocate, and recipient of the 2025 Kerri Wynne MacLeod Women of Impact Award and the Diane Moore Creation Award. This conversation explores her artistic journey, her role in uplifting Black artists in Atlantic Canada, and her vision for Caribbean dance on global stages.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Articles
- Category: Arts and Entertainment
A Detroit-born artist who helped seed Black theatre in Toronto returns with a fearless storytelling film on menopause. Satori Shakoor turns truth into community.
Satori Shakoor moves through art forms the way great musicians move through keys. One minute she is on a Pittsburgh stage as a Bride of Funkenstein, the next she is laying the groundwork for Obsidian Theatre in Toronto, then she is on PBS hosting and elevating new voices. Throughout each chapter, a single thread remains: storytelling as a witness, medicine, and a public square.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Theatre
Mary Antonini brings depth and joy to the Shaw Festival’s 2025 season, starring in Blues for an Alabama Sky, Anything Goes, and White Christmas. Her journey from Broadway to Shaw reflects resilience, artistry, and the importance of Black joy on stage.
AfroToronto.com interviewed Mary Antonini, one of the Shaw Festival’s most dynamic performers, about her role in the Canadian premiere of Blues for an Alabama Sky. Directed by Kimberley Rampersad, the play is set in Harlem during the 1930s, weaving together joy, struggle, and resilience during the Harlem Renaissance.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Theatre
Two decades after Blood.claat premiered in Toronto, d’bi.young anitafrika returns to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sankofa Trilogy.
This podcast episode marks a deeply personal, full-circle moment for me and AfroToronto.com. Twenty years ago, in November 2005, I sat in the backspace of Theatre Passe Muraille during the Stage3 Festival with director Weyni Mengesha and playwright-performer d’bi.young anitafrika. They were workshopping blood.claat, a daring new monodrama that would become the foundation of what we now know as the Sankofa Trilogy.
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- Written by: AfroToronto Team
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Music
ACCHO launches “Take Care of We (Get Tested),” a powerful HIV awareness anthem for Ontario’s African, Caribbean and Black communities. Performed by Dario Dvon, the campaign inspires unity, care, and action.
The African Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO) has launched an inspiring new campaign to strengthen HIV awareness and encourage African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities to get tested. At the heart of this initiative is “Take Care of We (Get Tested)”, a stirring anthem performed by Barbados-born, Toronto-based RnB/Soul artist Dario Dvon. With its blend of uplifting melodies and urgent messaging, the track reminds listeners that knowing your HIV status and supporting one another is a shared responsibility rooted in love, resilience, and community care.
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- Written by: AfroToronto Team
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Arts & Culture
BAND launches an online Arts & Culture Map highlighting Black-led venues, events, and artists across Canada. The interactive tool fosters connection and visibility.
BAND Gallery & Cultural Centre has introduced a new digital tool that is poised to transform the way audiences discover and engage with Black-led arts and culture in Canada. The BAND Arts & Culture Map is an interactive, user-friendly platform that pinpoints venues, events, and heritage sites across the country, offering a dynamic resource for locals, tourists, and cultural enthusiasts alike.
