| Becky Umeh | |
|---|---|
Becky Umeh 2010 |
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| Born | Becky Uzo-Amaka Umeh December 21, 1973 Anambra State, Nigeria |
| Occupation | choreographer, dancer, actress |
| Website | |
| http://zomema.com | |
Becky Umeh is a Nigerian artistic director, choreographer, singer, actress, and dancer.
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Umeh was born in Anambra State, Nigeria but grew up from the age of five in Lagos. In 1992 she gained national visibility as an actress in the Nigerian Television Authority children's drama Tales of Moonlight. She was also cast in the independent films Jezebel, Twist of Fate, Living Ghost, Amazon, and others.
From 1994 to 1998 Umeh studied traditional and contemporary African dance, on full scholarship, at Ivory Dance Academy, founded by National Troupe of Nigeria member Steve James. While studying she toured with the school's group Ivory Ambassadors, and conducted field research on traditional dance in Nigerian villages.
Upon graduation, Umeh served as the Dance Director of Ivory Dance Troupe for five years, directing and producing shows for Guinness, Mobile, Chevron, Seven-Up Bottling Company, etc. After a brief tour to Ghana, she traveled to Paris during World Cup '98 with the soccer team of Nigeria. Becky Umeh launched her singing career and founded her band,[1] and together they produced the album "Aiye".
From 1998 to 2001, Umeh co-hosted a T.V show Dance Jam Competition. In 2002, following her production of the cultural fiesta Afrifest,[2] where she brought the dance troupes of Africa together, Umeh served as assistant choreographer for the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant and the winner became Miss World 2002. Places where Becky Umeh performed include: the French Cultural Center, the Goethe-Institut, the Nigeria Music Awards, and the federal capital Abuja. She was active in pressing the Nigerian Government to provide artists with forms of support which were not harnessed to the Government's own propaganda goals,[3][4]
See [5] for a fuller account of her acting, directing, and production work in this period.
Since moving to Washington DC in 2002,[6] Umeh has worked with producers such as Hugh Medrano, Nancy Havlik (Stage Director) and George Faison (New York choreographer). She has performed for non-profit organizations such as the Red Cross, the Nigerian Embassy, and many cultural centers, universities, and churches. In 2005 Becky Umeh went on tour with Toby Foyeh and Orchestra Africa to North and South Carolina, Massachusetts, and New York's Syracuse Festival.
In 2006 Umeh choreographed the Lion King production sponsored by Metropolitan Fine Arts in Virginia. In 2009 Umeh formed the Zomema Dance Ensemble,[7] which performs traditional and contemporary African dance works under her direction.
| Year | Title | Producer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Aiye | Nelson Brown | |
| 2000 | Sisi | ||
| 2009 | My Creation | Jamix (Abuja Nigeria) | CDBaby |
| 2010 | Zomema | Jamix (Abuja Nigeria) | |
| 2010 | Mama | Nelson Brown | |
| 2010 | Ayaya | Nkeng | OneMicStudio |
| 2010 | Stand up | Alejo, Nkeng | OneMicStudio |
| 2010 | Toron | A.J. Alemanji, Nkeng | OneMicStudio |
| 2010 | Geleleno | Jamix (Abuja Nigeria) |