Aku Kadogo facts for kids
Aku Kadogo, whose birth name was Karen Vest, is a talented artist who works as a choreographer, director, actress, and teacher. She was one of the first actors in a famous play called For Colored Girls Who Have Considered ... / When the Rainbow Is Enuf (which premiered in 1976). She also acted in the Australian children's TV show Lift Off in the 1990s. Aku Kadogo has taught and performed in many countries, including Australia, Senegal, Cuba, Brazil, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
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Early Life and Learning
Aku Kadogo was born Karen Vest and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Her parents, Don and Hilda Vest, were activists and performers. An activist is someone who works to bring about social or political change. When she was a young girl, her mother encouraged her to join protests against the Vietnam War. Both her parents often took her to cultural events around the city.
High School and First Roles
From 1969 to 1972, she went to Cass Technical High School. There, she focused on performing arts. She wasn't very impressed with her high school program. So, in her last year, she joined a program at the Concept East Theatre, which is no longer open. This is where she got her first acting role. Her first professional performance was in a piece called "Sister Sonji" by Sonia Sanchez.
University Studies
After finishing high school, Kadogo attended New York University (NYU) from 1972 to 1976.
Meaning of Her Names
The name "Aku" means "Wednesday born." It comes from the Ewe language in Ghana. Her last name, "Kadogo," comes from the Swahili language. It means "small beautiful one."
Career Highlights
Aku Kadogo has shared her skills and performed in many places around the world. 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 and Paula Moss at Dianne McIntyre's Sounds in Motion Dance Studio. She was chosen to play the "Lady in Yellow" in For Colored Girls Who Have Considered ... / When the Rainbow Is Enuf. This play first opened in 1976. Some other famous original cast members who performed with Kadogo were Lynn Whitfield and Alfre Woodard.
From February to July 1978, the play toured Australia. It was first shown at Her Majesty's in Adelaide, South Australia. This was part of the 10th Adelaide Festival of Arts. Then, it toured to Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville, Cairns, and Brisbane. Kadogo and the other original cast members were in the show, which was directed by Oz Scott. After the last performance, Kadogo decided to stay in Australia. She had fallen in love with an Australian person and lived there for about 20 years.
In 1988, Kadogo was part of a four-woman dance group called the African Dance Group. They performed a show called AKWANSO (Fly South) at The Space Theatre in the Adelaide Festival Centre. This was also for the Adelaide Festival of Arts. The other women in the group were Pitjantjatjara dancer and actor Lillian Crombie, Ghanaian-Australian dancer and storyteller Dorinda Hafner, and Jamaican Jigzie Campbell. Each woman shared her own story about unfair treatment based on race. After their stories, all four women performed a dance. This dance was choreographed by Mary Barnett from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
In the 1990s, Kadogo became the artistic director at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia. An artistic director helps guide the creative vision of a theatre. She worked with Aboriginal dancers and directed several important plays. One of these was Ochre & Dust (2000). This play was created for the Perth and Adelaide Festivals. It was also performed at the South Pacific Festival in Noumea, New Caledonia.
Kadogo also directed a show called Salt City. This show was a techno-choreopoem based on a work by Jessica Care Moore. A choreopoem combines poetry, dance, music, and drama. Salt City celebrates Black culture in Detroit. It highlights the African-American presence in the city and the techno music that was started by African-American men from the Detroit area. It was performed in 2017 and 2019.
Television Roles
Kadogo played the character Snap Jordan in the Australian children's television series Lift Off during the 1990s.
Teaching and Philosophy
In 2005, Aku Kadogo visited her home country. She was offered a job as the director for the Black Theatre Program at Wayne State University. She worked in this role from 2006 to 2011. After leaving Wayne State, she became a visiting professor at Yong In University in Seoul, South Korea.
In 2014, Kadogo was named the William and Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby Endowed Professor in the Arts at Spelman College. As of 2019, she was serving as the chair for the Department of Theatre and Performance at Spelman College.
Kadogo has created her own teaching idea called "rhythm science." She developed this while she was in Australia. It suggests that musical breaks are similar across all types of music. She created this technique to help her students better understand rhythm and movement.
