Iddi Saaka, Faculty Fellow

“I believe in the power of dance to galvanize individuals and communities to tackle ills in society, empower the marginalized, and question authority. It is ever so important for us to continue to dialogue in myriad ways about the many problems that rear their ugly heads in our communities and institutions of power and I believe dance remains a powerful force in doing so…I seek to use dance to interrogate issues of race and racism that cut across all facets of American society.”

Iddi Saaka, Assistant Professor of Dance, is an award-winning West African dance and music performance artist and teacher who specializes in Ghanaian dance and music as well as contemporary dance. Saaka holds a Diploma (with distinction) from the University of Ghana and an M.F.A. in Dance from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has performed and taught nationally and internationally in several venues including Los Angeles, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, Israel, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. In 2003, he performed for the president of Israel. He has created original multifaceted works that address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ghana and Malawi, and has worked with youths in detention centers across Connecticut as well as with physically challenged youth in Israel, using dance and music to equip them with lifelong skills such as anger management, respect for cultural diversity, and self-dignity. Saaka has served as Visiting Instructor of Dance at the University of California, Los Angeles and San Diego, Connecticut College, and the University of Ghana. He has taught dance at Wesleyan University since 2008, and was a recipient of Wesleyan’s prestigious Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching award in 2018.

Visit Iddi Saaka's profile on the Arts for Learning Connecticut website.