Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater set for Hawaii debut in Waipahu

The Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation will bring The Revival: Djembe in the New Millennium to the Filcom Center in Waipahu on Nov. 6, marking the dance theater’s first performance in Hawaii. The show caps the company’s first national tour since 2017 and includes a local opening act, new staging, and a multimedia look at African diaspora arts.

Why it matters: - The Waipahu performance gives the Bessie Award–winning Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater its first Hawaii appearance. - The show also closes the company’s first national concert tour since 2017, part of its 25th anniversary celebration. - Sewa Fare African Dance & Drum Company, an Oahu-based arts group with more than 20 years of local cultural work, is sharing the stage and helping anchor the event in Hawaii’s community arts scene.

What happened: - The Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation will present The Revival: Djembe in the New Millennium on Nov. 6, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at the Filcom Center in Waipahu. - The performance is scheduled for the Casamina & Flores Ballrooms at 94-428 Mokuola Street, Suite 302, Waipahu. - Sewa Fare African Dance & Drum Company will open the show and co-present the event. - K. Osei Williams, Asase Yaa’s executive director and executive producer, is leading the production.

The details: - The Revival was created by master djembe drummer and choreographer Yao Ababio, who founded and directs the company artistically. - The production was originally developed in 2010 and has been reimagined for the anniversary tour. - The updated show features six dancers, four master drummers, a balafon player and a guitarist. - The production also includes new costume designs by Nigerian fashion designer Wunmi of WowWow by Wunmi. - A live griot performance by Kweku Amankwa Hunter is part of the program. - A multimedia retrospective traces the evolution of African diaspora arts in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy community. - The story line focuses on the influence of West African culture, music and dance from Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Haiti and Trinidad on Bed-Stuy from the early 1990s to the present. - The production blends Folklore, Djembe, Afrobeat, Hip-Hop, Rap and R&B. - The national tour began in Brooklyn in February for Black History Month and has included stops in Chicago, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Charleston and the Memorial Day Weekend DanceAfrica Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. - Tickets are available through ticketing for the Waipahu performance. - More information is available on Asase Yaa’s website.

Between the lines: - The Hawaii stop extends a tour built to honor the company’s 25-year milestone while reconnecting with audiences outside its home base. - Pairing a New York-based ensemble with a local Hawaiian opener suggests a deliberate effort to frame the performance as both touring art and community exchange. - The production’s mix of traditional West African forms with hip-hop, rap and R&B points to a broader presentation of African diaspora culture as living and evolving, not static.

What's next: - The company is expected to complete the remaining dates on its anniversary tour after the Waipahu engagement. - The Nov. 6 show will serve as the tour’s culminating performance and a capstone for the anniversary celebration. - Audience members in Hawaii can still secure tickets online before the performance date. - Asase Yaa can also be reached by email at info@asaseyaaent.org or by phone at (646) 468-0710.