DanceAfrica's Artistic Director Abdel Salaam opens the show with a dance production by the Spirit Walkers who, this year, will bring in the energy of community and connectivity from Cameroon.
Pride of Nekomata
The Nekomata are a group of warriors, bonded with spirits from their native island off the coast of Japan. Along with improving their martial abilities, the warriors have taken on physical animal elements of the spirit they joined with. There were only ever twelve Nekomata, but something has changed, and no new bonding has taken place, leaving only six remaining. Seeing an opportunity, their leader Kamanu allied with the larger forces of the Empire, gaining protection for retaining the seclusion of their island, in return, the Nekomata became available for military operations as the Empire explores and expands. The Nekomata are a perfect force of elite operatives, and they have used the opportunity to travel to reach out to their spiritual cousins in the Warrior Nation, to seek out answers as to the decline of the Nekomata.