EPK
ENRICH.
EDUCATE.
ENTERTAIN.
Our Mission
Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to fulfill our core tenets to Enrich, Educate, Entertain and promote the importance of cultural performing arts to youth and adults in our community. We aspire to empower and strengthen our youth by offering them an opportunity to learn, study and experience the history, movement and beauty of African Diasporic dance, music and culture at its highest level. Our programs are designed to ensure that our youth understand the roots and value of culture in the arts, which we hope will inspire and propel them to become strong leaders capable of preserving and elevating our culture and communities in the future.
Our Mission
Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to fulfill our core tenets to Enrich, Educate, Entertain and promote the importance of cultural performing arts to youth and adults in our community. We aspire to empower and strengthen our youth by offering them an opportunity to learn, study and experience the history, movement and beauty of African Diasporic dance, music and culture at its highest level. Our programs are designed to ensure that our youth understand the roots and value of culture in the arts, which we hope will inspire and propel them to become strong leaders capable of preserving and elevating our culture and communities in the future.
Expanded Children’s Summer Arts Camp + Open House
We’re extremely grateful and feel a debt and gratitude to all our constituents and the amazing community support we’ve been given over the past 18 years.
Drum Love Reviewed
Brooklyn-based dance company raises the roof, spirits and funds through exuberant African dancing and intoxicating drum rhythms.
– Sheila Kogan, Theaterscene.net
Black History Month Events
Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation will be contributing to several major Black History Month Celebrations throughout the Tri-State area this month.
WHAT MAKES ASASE YAA UNIQUE?
YEARS
OVER
scholarships
ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS
Black-OwneD
We are one of the few Black-owned African cultural arts organizations in Brooklyn, spurred by a generational torch that has been passed on and maintained for over three and a half decades, which includes 17 years with our current organization.
Serving Low-Income families
We provide “minority” children, single parent households and lower income families in the New York metropolitan community and surrounding areas with exposure to quality cultural performing arts through performances, a summer camp, performing and visual arts classes, and cultural events for little or no cost.
free performing classes
The Foundation focuses on community-oriented programs such as free performing and visual arts classes, scholarships and exposing communities to the arts through productions and events produced by Asase Yaa Entertainment Group, LLC.
Summer children's art camp
Our multifaceted 6-week Summer Children’s Art Camp is the only summer program that offers youth (ages 4-13) a chance to contribute, create and produce an original work and full live production which is presented to a captive audience of family and friends as the Finale to camp. They learn all aspects of live production including writing, music, dance, costumes, choreography, staging, lights and sound.
School of the Arts Outreach Program
Our School of the Arts Outreach Program is one of the most robust in-school cultural arts programs in the city. Over the past five years, we’ve served some 10,000 students and presented live performances and teaching residencies in over 100 schools (K – 12) throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.
SCHOLARSHIPS
We have provided 100 scholarships, (totally over $50,000) for low income students from our community to participate and experience our program curriculum.
intergenerational
We’re the only non-profit cultural arts organization in Brooklyn that offers and fuses education, African history, arts, dance, drum/percussion and live performance training to children and adults ranging from 3 – 65 years and older throughout the entire year.
AWARD-Winning honors
We’re the first US-based African dance company in history to be nominated for the highly-coveted Bessie Award for our production of the “Djembe in the New Millennium” (2014). In 2017, we also won our first Bessie Award for our play, “Healing Sevens.”
ASASE YAA ALUMNI SUCCESS
In recent years, about 20 of our exceptionally gifted and talented program alumni have been accepted by major universities and colleges around the country, debuted on Broadway, are touring with major recording artists, or have appeared in several popular television programs and motion pictures.
Original Productions
Since the inception of the Asaye Yaa African Dance Theater program we have self-produced and presented 17 original productions featuring dance and drums and collaborated with nearly two dozen of the most prestigious African dance companies in the nation. In addition, some 1000 performers have graced our stages.
ASASE YAA MEDIA, BIO + DOWNLOADS
The below imagery is available for promotional purposes. Right/command-click image to save.
GENERAL USE PHOTOS
Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater live ensemble performance. Photo Credit: Rachel Neville
Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater 2019, cast for “Drum Love” production. Photo Credit: Hemamset Angaza
Asase Yaa School of the Arts student performance. Photo Credit: Stella Magloire
Asase Yaa Children’s Summer Art Camp for youth. Photo Credit: Asase Yaa School of the Arts
Scenes from DRUM LOVE / Photo credit: Solwazi Afi Olusola
APPROVED VIDEO
FOUNDATION INFORMATION + EXECUTIVE IMAGES
Right/command click image to save, or select name to view executive biography
KOFI OSEI WILLIAMS
Executive Director
Rubie Inez Williams
Director of Operations
Yao Ababio
Founder & Artistic Director
Zakiya Harris
Artistic Director,
School of the Arts
ENRICH
THE Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation
The Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation is a Brooklyn-based non-profit organization with a mission to enlighten, uplift and immerse the community at large in all things artful of Africa – in full – in America. The Foundation is the controlling entity of a broad range of arts & cultural services that comprise two primary programs, the Asase Yaa School of the Arts and the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater. Under the auspices of the School of the Arts, they also sponsor an annual Children’s Summer Arts Camp, and have a thriving Arts Outreach educational program that services public and private schools throughout New York’s five boroughs including Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx and Queens. It’s one of the few Black-owned and run African cultural arts organizations in Brooklyn, and its principals include; Kofi Osei Williams, Chief Executive Director, Rubie Inez Williams, Director of Operations of the Foundation and Yao Ababio, Founder and Artistic Director of the African American Dance Theater.
EDUCATE
THE Asase Yaa SCHOOL OF ARTS
The School of the Arts was founded in 2010 with the mission to provide quality dance and drum instruction to boys and girls students ages 3 to 18. Through intensive study and technical training in various dance forms that include tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, modern, and African, students become well versed in their genre over the course of the 37 week program (which typically runs from October to June).
The School offers two major youth programs annually in addition to the classes and regular curriculum they offer in public, charter, and public schools.
youth programs
CHILDREN’S SUMMER ART CAMP
ARTS OUTREACH
PROGRAM
ENTERTAIN
THE ASASE YAA AFRICAN AMERICAN DANCE THEATER
Where ever they perform, the Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater becomes the audience’s favorite African dance and drum company, a reputation that we have worked diligently to maintain.
