STOCKTON – Dancers on two continents some 7,500 miles apart will perform together live as Delta’s dance program returns this week for its first in-person performance in two years. 

The finale of “Metamorphosis” will feature Delta College dancers on the Atherton Auditorium stage in Stockton, while a live feed from Ghana on the screen behind them shows the Noyam African Dance Institute performing the same choreography in real time from Africa. 

Synchronizing the Delta College and African performers is a technical challenge, but the feed from Ghana will help viewers see “Metamorphosis” – a study of Afro Modern dance -- through the lens of African dancers, said Valerie Gnassounou, professor of dance at Delta. 

“My students just love the fact that we are able to connect in this way,” Gnassounou said. “I think that it’s amazing that we have the technology to work with people from different cultures all over the world and do something to connect with each other through the arts.” 

HAPPENING THIS WEEK 

What: “Metamorphosis” 

Who: Delta College dance students; Yamsei Dance Co.; Noyam African Dance Institute; Stagg High and ABLE Charter School dance students 

When: 8 p.m. April 22 and April 23 

Where: Atherton Auditorium, San Joaquin Delta College 

Why: The event is free but donations are welcome, with goal to raise funds for Delta dance students to visit the west coast of Africa next summer. 

COVID protocol: Masks are required. Proof of vaccination required or negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours. 

More about the show: “Metamorphosis” represents the journey of life, a perpetual evolution and quest to find oneself in the midst of tumultuous circumstances, societal tenets, family, religion, and many other factors. The livestream with the dancers from Ghana was arranged thanks to Gnassounou having worked with Nii-Tete Yartey, the managing director of the Institute, on other projects. 

“It’s a very encouraging show in general,” Gnassounou said. “The pandemic has really brought us down and this is an opportunity for us to do better and to rise up.”