Asadata Dafora

Dafora, Asadata (b John Warner Dafora Horton; Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1890, d New York, 4 Mar. 1965). West African singer, dancer, composer, choreographer, and writer. He studied singing in Milan and in 1912 joined a touring ensemble of African dancers. In 1929 he moved to the US where he presented dance dramas based on African legends, using authentic African dance and music, the most successful of which was Kykunkor (1934). These highly popular productions pioneered the appreciation of African traditions and inspired artists like P. Lang.