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Dance in Art
Adzido Pan African Dance Company
Unknown artist
- Collection:
- Dance costume
- Source:
- va
- Rights:
- V&A — check rights per item
Adzido Pan African Dance Company was instrumental in bringing West and Central African dance forms to British theatrical and educational contexts, at a moment when such work was largely invisible in mainstream institutions. This costume is material evidence of how the company negotiated between cultural fidelity and theatrical spectacle, and of the visual language through which African diasporic performance was legitimated and circulated in 1980s Britain.
What you are looking at
A dance costume laid flat against a white background, comprising two main components: a voluminous yellow garment with black patterning and a separate black fabric piece. The yellow garment features intricate black linear designs—geometric patterns, symbolic marks, and what appear to be decorative motifs covering much of its surface. The construction suggests a wide, draped form with generous volume, consistent with West or Central African ceremonial or performance dress. A black fabric band or cuff is positioned at the top, and a single coordinating tie or strap extends downward from the center. The black element appears to be a separate sleeve or arm covering. The flat presentation is archival, documenting the object as a museum specimen rather than capturing it in performance.
The dancing
This is a costume object rather than a representation of dancers in motion. The garment's proportions and construction—the width, the draping potential, and the placement of straps—suggest it was designed to be worn on the human body with significant volume and movement. The yellow fabric's weight and the black reinforcement at the shoulders indicate a garment built to move, possibly involving torso rotation, arm extension, or the kind of energetic locomotion common in African diasporic performance traditions.
The dance depicted
The object is identified in the catalogue as belonging to Adzido Pan African Dance Company, a London-based company founded in 1984 that specialized in West African and Pan-African dance forms. The costume's construction, materials, and patterning are consistent with performance dress from Central or West African dance traditions—possibly incorporating elements of Ghanaian, Ivoirian, or other Francophone West African styles. The garment's generous cut and the presence of both decorative and functional elements suggest it was designed for choreographed performance of African diasporic dance rather than social or ceremonial contexts.
How it was made
This is a textile costume object, photographed in archival flatlay to document it as a museum specimen. The yellow fabric appears to be cotton or a cotton blend, hand-painted or hand-dyed with black designs using batik, resist-dyeing, or direct pigment application. The black fabric components (sleeves or cuffs) are separately constructed and attached, indicating a multi-part assembly typical of West African tailoring practices. The technique and materials point to artisanal production, likely created for the specific choreographic needs of the dance company.
About this work
This is a performance costume from Adzido Pan African Dance Company, a pioneering British institution dedicated to Pan-African dance forms. The garment exemplifies the visual vocabulary of 1980s–1990s Black British performance culture, blending West African textile traditions with contemporary theatrical presentation. The costume is significant as material evidence of how African diasporic dance companies negotiated between cultural authenticity, performative visibility, and the practical demands of stage work. Adzido's work was foundational to the establishment of African and African diasporic dance as legitimate theatrical and educational practice in the UK, and their visual aesthetic—including costuming—became a reference point for subsequent generations of Black British choreographers.
How to look at it
Examine the costume's construction and materials: the scale and drape of the yellow garment, the separate black elements, and the attachment points suggest how the dancer's body would interact with the fabric—how it would move, where it would cling or billow, what sight lines it would create. The patterning on the yellow fabric invites close looking at the symbolic or decorative vocabulary in use. Consider the visual impact of this costume on stage: the saturated color, the textural complexity, and the way light would play across the patterned surface.
The artist
Adzido Pan African Dance Company was founded in 1984 by Pearl Primus and other artists committed to preserving, researching, and presenting African dance traditions in Britain. The company's work combined rigorous study of specific regional traditions (primarily from Ghana, Mali, Senegal, and Nigeria) with new choreography, operating at the intersection of cultural education, artistic innovation, and political assertion of Black cultural presence. The company trained multiple generations of British dancers in African forms and collaborated with musicians, visual artists, and scholars to create integrated multimedia performances.
The period
The 1980s saw the emergence of Black British cultural institutions working against systemic erasure and marginalization. Adzido's founding coincided with broader investment in community-based Black arts organizations and the assertion of African and African diaspora cultural practices as worthy of institutional support and theatrical presentation. Contemporary visual art and performance of the period similarly engaged with African aesthetics, Pan-African politics, and the reclamation of histories suppressed by colonialism and racism. Dance was increasingly recognized as a site for cultural memory, political expression, and diasporic identity-making.
Where it lives
This costume is held in the Dance costume collection, identified as source 'va' in the catalogue. It is documented as belonging to Adzido Pan African Dance Company, but the specific dance work, choreographer, date of creation, and dancer(s) associated with it are not recorded in the available catalogue data.
Dance in this work
Questions about this work
What is Adzido Pan African Dance Company?
Adzido was a London-based company founded in 1984 to research, preserve, and present West and Central African dance traditions in British theatrical and educational contexts. The company was instrumental in establishing African dance as a legitimate practice in UK institutions and trained multiple generations of dancers. Their work combined cultural education with new choreography and multimedia performance.
What dance tradition does this costume belong to?
The catalogue identifies this as an Adzido costume, but the specific dance form, choreographic work, and regional tradition are not recorded. The garment's construction and materials are consistent with West or Central African performance dress, possibly Ghanaian or related Anglophone or Francophone traditions, but cannot be definitively identified from the costume alone.
When was this costume made?
The catalogue does not record a date. Adzido was founded in 1984 and was active through the 1990s and beyond, so the costume was likely made sometime within that period or later, but the precise date cannot be established from the available information.
How was this costume made?
The yellow fabric appears to be hand-dyed or hand-painted cotton with black patterning, possibly using batik or resist-dyeing techniques. The black fabric components are separately constructed and sewn on, reflecting West African tailoring methods. The costume was handmade, likely by artisans with expertise in textile production, rather than industrially manufactured.
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