Izizwe Dance Collective

Izizwe Dance Collective is a professional dance company and an extension of Izizwe Dance Studio. The mission of IDC is to develop, promote, and sustain a thriving dance community within the city of Lawrence. The company aims to inspire diverse groups of people through powerful performances that create meaningful interactions and individual empowerment. In addition; Izizwe Dance Collective provides a platform for dance artists to develop and expand their work equitably by providing young dancers with job opportunities, mentorship, training, and free studio space. 

 Izizwe founders and professional choreographers Amy and Mcebisi Xotyeni are currently developing new work on 4 Lawrence based dancers set to premier at Essex Art Center in May of 2023. This new work, which draws on the strengths of African and Modern dance, challenges how one finds identity through collective purpose as opposed to rampant individualism. Inspired by Xotyeni’s South African clan and the Xhosa culture overall, this new work uses movement, music, and mixed media to show the significance in finding identity through the concept of “We are, therefore I am.” This work is set to premiere at Essex Art Center in Lawrence in the spring of 2023.