Compagnie TcheTche.

Chicago's AfroContempo Festival presents experimental choreographers from Africa with leading African American dancemakers, all delving into questions of race, culture, and heritage in different ways. In the three-month series, which includes Ralph Lemon, Ronald K. Brown, and Germaine Acogny, Compagnie TcheTche is the sole newcomer to the Chicago arts scene. Hailing from the Ivory Coast, the all-female group performs its newest work, a duet titled Geeme, choreographed by cofounder Beatrice Kombe. Portraying the dual nature of the African female as both mother and warrior, the dancers shift from crouched positions to frantic tribal stomps and turns. Compagnie TcheTche (which means "eagle," connotating power and domination) takes the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago's stage March 17, 18, and 19 and offers two master classes on March 19. www.dancecenter.org of www.tchetche.afrikart.net/compagnie.htm.