Antonio Bukhar Ssebuuma - Northern School of Contemporary Dance
 

ANTONIO BUKHAR SSEBUUMA

Curriculum Lead (Co-curricular) & Lecturer in Cultural Dance Forms

Curriculum Lead (Co-curricular) & Lecturer in Cultural Dance Forms

MA in Arts Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Additional Qualifications

Dance Choreographer

Theatre maker

Community Arts practitioner

Creative director

Roles and Responsibilities:

Teaching dance techniques and creative practice lectures across all levels of higher education.

Module leader for the CertHE Cultural Dance Forms courses

Curriculum lead for Co-Curricular responsible for organizing after 5 p.m. classes and managing institutional collaborations.

Choreographer

Who Am I?

“I was born and raised in Uganda and have immersed myself in the world of dance for over a decade. My journey has led me to become a performer, dance teacher, and choreographer, working with styles including hip-hop, breaking, afro-fusion, dancehall, house, and traditional Ugandan dances. My dance journey began through informal learning communities in Uganda.

My current role as a lecturer in higher education reflects my mission to bridge the gap between community-based dance practices and academia. I’m passionate about intercultural exchanges exploring the fusion of different dance styles. In my teaching, I strive to balance technical aspects with the cultural and creative elements of dance.

Looking ahead, my goal is to continue contributing to the world of dance through both academic and practical avenues”

Career History

Antonio is an award-winning performer, dance choreographer, and teacher from Uganda. His artistic practice draws on a blend of styles, namely Hip-hop, dancehall, breaking, afro-fusion, contemporary, house and indigenous Ugandan dances.

Antonio leveraged peer-to-peer learning in informal local communities of dance practice in Uganda to develop his skillset and knowledge base. This background enriches his pedagogy with a community-arts approach.

Antonio was awarded the Pina Bausch Fellowship in 2017 as a visiting dance scholar at the University of Auckland. He also received the Caroline Plummer Community Dance Fellowship at the University of Otago in 2019. Antonio’s artistic philosophy seeks to bridge the gap between street-based community arts practice and academia.

With over 15 years of dance experience, Antonio has worked in diverse cultural, artistic, and social contexts. These include disadvantaged communities in slums, orphanages and refugee centres; theatres, festivals, and schools in Uganda, Europe, and New Zealand.  Antonio has worked with high-level academic institutions such as The University of Auckland, The University of Otago, Makerere University, Codarts Dance Center, Pacifika Institute of Performing Arts and the Norwegian College of Dance.

Professional Activity

  • Co-founder: Tabu Flo Dance Company
  • Committee Member: Batalo East Festival
  • Artistic Director: Kuenda Productions
  • Founder: Arts 2 Hearts Project
  • Co-founder: Breakdance Project Uganda

CONFERENCES:

  • 2023: EADI CEsA General Conference 2023: Towards New Rhythms of Development 10-13 July 2023, Centre for African and Development Studies (CEsA), ISEG-Lisbon School of  Economics and Management/University of Lisbon (Portugal)
  • 2023: Presenter 47th ICTM World Conference, Teaching Afro-fusion in Higher Education as a means to Aid Decolonisation in dance education (Ghana)
  • 2022: Presenter, Dancing with Decolonisation – Teaching Afro-fusion in Higher Education as a means to Aid Decolonisation (online)
  • 2019: Dance Beyond Form, Allen Hall, University of Otago in New Zealand
  • 2018: Final Lectures: Pina Bausch Fellow presentation, in Wuppertal Germany
  • 2017: Kenneth Myers Centre, the University of Auckland, New Zealand
  • 2012 – 2014: Series of symposiums – Commitment to Africa Initiative in Partnership with Africa Foundation E.V: Leipzig, Koln, and Frankfurt Germany

Research and Professional Interests

  • Decolonisation of Curriculum
  • Diversity & Inclusion in arts
  • Positive Change in communities through Dance
  • Humanising Pedagogy in Dance Education
  • Identity and Human consciousness
  • Cross-cultural exchange and dance fusion

Publication:

28.07.2018 Difference in Dancing: Two Dance Educators Reflect on Difference in the Dance Studio

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/54sbADDbH2GaghjCmJ/full

Performance and Research Artefacts

Performances:

2023: Munda Fola Choreography collaborative with Keira Martin for BA3 students at NSCD

2022: Choreographed Tudeyo performance for BA2

2021: Snikie Snikaz, solo dance piece, Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells London

2021: Choreographer, Njagala – dance film, BA1 students, Northern school of Contemporary Dance

2019: Choreographer Balleteatro, Mexe’ Festival, Porto, Portugal

2019: CLASH Dance production, Dancer and choreographer, Germany

2019: Devised, Ffenna dance theatre performance, New Zealand

2018: Choreographer, Norwegian College of dance, Open Day festival in Uganda

2017: Dance exchange coach for the Big Day Codarts University of Arts, Rotterdam, Netherlands

2016: Co-Choreographer Illegitimate by Tiny Free performed at National theatre of Uganda and Schöne Aussicht International theater Stuttgart, Germany

2016: Choreographer and performer Empty the Space by Kuenda production at Forum am Schlosspark, Ludwigsburg, Germany

2015: Dancer, The Fake Empire, Laba Festivals of arts choreography by Yolanda Gutiérrez, Uganda

2014: Choreographer, Twenty-Fifteen, by Kuenda, at Africtions festival, Theater Im Pfalzbau and Theater Am Leibnizplatz, Ludwigshafen, Germany & Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA): Zimbabwe

2014: Salaam Ya Kivu, dance workshop facilitator, Judge and performer with Tabu Flo Dance Company in Goma Congo

2013: SARAYA sanitizer Promotion, International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC) Geneva, Switzerland

2011: Myth of the Night dancers Tabu Flo dance Co’ Breaking, Convention, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre London, United Kingdom

2010: Performer and Workshop facilitator My World Images festival Denmark

2010: Dancer and puppeteer – Emil And Detective Europe tour by Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel in Munich,Germany

2008: Dancer with Burudani Dance Company, Works included –Memories of Child Soldier and Black & White Uganda

 

Community Projects:

2019: Free-dance, Caroline Plummer Community Dance Fellow, University of Otago New Zealand

2019: Shake it off performance Collaboration with Auckland arts Council and Base FM New Zealand

2018: Guest Artist at MixIt refugee and youth empowerment initiative, New Zealand

2018: Deaf Youth Film Project with Touch Compass Dance Company, New Zealand

2018: Community Opera in Kaunas, Lithuania

2017: International Community Arts Festival (ICAF), Rotterdam, performer Empty the Space Netherlands

2017: Zandstroom, meeting center for Alzheimer’s patients in Zandvoort, Netherlands

2016: Life in my Shoes Sexual reproductive health project in schools, Uganda

2016: Refugee rehabilitation workshops at the art center, Karlskaserne, Ludwigsburg, Germany

2015: Ghetto-Christmas Community outreach by Arts 2 Hearts in Kampala slams, Uganda

2014: Africa Alive Refugee rehabilitation workshop by Culture Africa in Pilsen, Czech Republic

2008 – Brave Festival in Wroclaw, workshops and performances with Breakdance Project UG, Poland

2006- 2013: Break dance for positive social change with Break dance project, working with orphanages, and other disadvantaged groups.