WHO I AM

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Geoffrey Oryema is a dance-movements and performing artist from Uganda with Certificates in Contemporary, Acholi traditional and African dances, from Dance Master Academy in Gulu Uganda.  He is the founder and the Artistic Director of Watwero Dance Company based in Gulu, Uganda, He is currently working with Blingers Empire as a dance and gymnastic instructor in four schools in Nairobi, Kenya, And the Co-founder ofInspire Me Africa Initiative and Beyond The Beat Event, an annual art and community cultural gala that happens at Straight-Talk Foundation, Kitgum Youth Centre in Kitgum District. And Certified Yoga teacher from Africa Yoga Project in Kenya.

His artistic journey started at the Dance Masters Academy of Northern Uganda {DAMASCA}, East Africa where he trained in Acholi and otherAfrican traditional dances from Uganda, open theatre, modern dances and modeling, where had his very first live performance experiences. He has been part of all the performance activities of the Academy for three{3} years as a performing artist and trainer. This was the start of developing his artistic skills as a performer and choreographer.

In 2012 he had a unique opportunity to be part of “Breakdance For PEACE” project, which was a campaign for peace through breakdancing in the war-torn region where he was born and raised, Northern Uganda by Breakdance Project Uganda {BPU}.  It created an opportunity for him to learn and get deeper in Breakdancing and Modern dances, He then was appointed the coordinator  for Breakdance Project Uganda {BPU} Kitgum branch. It enabled him to meet many people who influenced his dance practice by attending and participating in trainings, festivals, performances and projects with different dance choreographers and companies from abroad and Africa such as: Dance Revolution East Africa, Blingers Academy (KENYA), Yolanda Gutierrez& Projects (Hamburg, Germany). Break Anatomy (Kampala), Baptiste Institute (Kenya), Centre For Culture and Development (CKU), Batalo Academy Workshop (Kampala), Youth and Films (Gulu), National Camp BUILD, PEACE CORPS-Uganda, Institute for Dance and Culture (cologne, Germany), Vipassana Meditation (Rwanda), Maisha East African Film Festival (Gulu), Nyege Nyege International Festival (Jinja), Laba Art Festival (Kampala), The Fake Empire Project, KrumpUG Event and Battle (Kampala), Destino Dance Company (Ethiopia), Youth and Hip-hop workshop by Bayimba Foundation, Dance Week(Kampala), Contemporary Dance NIGHT(Kampala and Gulu), Kampala Fashion Week, Wer-Waa Art Festival, Reform To Inspire, Emirandira.

Geoffrey having performed and participated in various major international festivals such as the Laba Art Festival,Nyege Nyege International Music Festival (Jinja), Uganda, Wer-Waa Arts Festival, Gulu,  iLE-RISE: Emirandira, an African word meaning our roots, Batalo East Festival, Kampala-Uganda, Bayimba International Festival of the Art, Maisha African Film Festival in Gulu, Uganda, Batalo Dance Academy 2015 to 2017, Contemporary Dance Night, Kampala and Gulu,Bayimba Regional Festival-Gulu, Pyem Myel in Gulu, Uganda, Gospel Dance Competition,

“Geoffrey likes creating compositions of dance, inspired by personal realities. His process consists mostly of finding artistic ideas through daily discussions with people around me. His aims are to create dance work inspired by our realities in the community; the environment and nature. He approaches movements through human experience, the past, the present and the future. His ambitions are for the audience to relate to situations of our daily life through dance-movements and performances”. - Geoffrey wants to present Uganda to the international dance scene and to develop and promote both contemporary and traditional dances in Uganda and creating an environment of sustainability and growth for young and upcoming Ugandan dance artists”.

Website Link: https://geoffreyoryema.wixsite.com/dance
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.oryema.1
Instagram:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXV2ZCIOPbCup5eiggpftLw