Aku Kadogo facts for kids
Aku Kadogo, born Karen Vest, is a talented artist. She is a choreographer (someone who creates dances), director, actress, and teacher. She was one of the original cast members of a famous play called For Colored Girls Who Have Considered ... / When the Rainbow Is Enuf (1976). She also acted in the 1990s Australian children's television series Lift Off. Aku Kadogo has taught and performed in many countries around the world.
Early Life and Education
Aku Kadogo, born Karen Vest, grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents, Don and Hilda Vest, were very active in their community. They were also performers. When she was a young girl, her mother encouraged her to join peaceful protests. Her parents often took her to cultural events in the city.
She went to Cass Technical High School from 1969 to 1972. There, she studied performing arts. During her last year of high school, she joined a program at the Concept East Theatre. This is where she got her first acting role. Her first professional performance was a piece called "Sister Sonji" by Sonia Sanchez.
Kadogo attended New York University (NYU) from 1972 to 1976. After graduating from high school, she continued her studies there.
Her first name, "Aku," means "Wednesday born." It comes from the Ewe language in Ghana. Her last name, "Kadogo," comes from Swahili. It means "small beautiful one."
Career
Aku Kadogo has taught and performed in many different places. These include Australia, Senegal, Cuba, Brazil, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
Stage Performances
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During her last year at NYU, she met Ntozake Shange. She joined the original cast of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered ... / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Famous actresses like Lynn Whitfield and Alfre Woodard were also in the show.
From February to July 1978, the play toured Australia. It was shown in cities like Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. After the tour, Kadogo decided to stay in Australia. She lived there for about 20 years.
In 1988, Kadogo was part of a dance group called the African Dance Group. They performed a show called AKWANSO (Fly South). The show was directed by Robyn Archer. Other dancers in the group included Lillian Crombie, Dorinda Hafner, and Jigzie Campbell. Each woman shared her own story. Then, all four women performed a dance together.
In the 1990s, Kadogo became the artistic director at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. She worked with Aboriginal dancers. She also directed several important plays. One of these was Ochre & Dust (2000). This play was shown at festivals in Perth and Adelaide.
Kadogo also directed a play called Salt City. This play was a techno-choreopoem (a play that combines dance, music, and poetry). It was based on a work by Jessica Care Moore. Salt City celebrates Black culture in Detroit. It highlights the African-American presence in the city. It also celebrates techno music, which was started by African-American men from Detroit. This play was performed in 2017 and 2019.
Television Appearances
Kadogo played the character Snap Jordan. This was in the 1990s Australian children's television series Lift Off.
Teaching Career
In 2005, Aku Kadogo visited her home in the United States. She was offered a job as director for the Black Theatre Program at Wayne State University. She worked there from 2006 to 2011. After leaving Wayne State, she became a visiting professor at Yong In University in Seoul, South Korea.
In 2014, Kadogo received a special teaching award at Spelman College. As of 2019, she was the head of the Department of Theatre and Performance at Spelman College.
Kadogo has developed her own teaching method called "rhythm science." She created this method while she was in Australia. It teaches that musical breaks are similar across all types of music. She uses this technique to help her students understand rhythm and movement better.
