Habiba Addo is a native of Ghana, West Africa. She holds a degree in Theater and a Certificate of Dance from Portland State University. She has performed and taught in the United States and internationally for over fifteen years. She teaches and performs dance, rhythm and stories from Ghana, Guinea, Gambia and Senegal. She also shares the rich African cultures present today in Cuba and Brazil.
A guest teacher and performer for Portland Public Schools for over fifteen years, Habiba has also performed and taught the community in dance, storytelling and theater through organizations such as Young Audiences, White Bird, Oregon Ballet Theater, Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, Tygres Heart Shakespeare Company, Mambo Queens, Northwest Afrikan American Ballet, Montessori Schools, Cedarwood Woldorf School, Oregon Episcopal School, Miracle Theater, Milagro Bailadores and Portland State University's World Dance Office. She is a recipient of the Lila Jewel award (2000), an Arts Alive grant (2000) and multiple technical assistant grants from Regional Arts and Culture Council (1998, 2002 and 2012).
"Dance, stories and song are the fruit that hang from the branches of culture, whose roots tap deep into centuries of history. Habiba doesn't just hand students the fruit - teaching art forms in isolation from cultural heritage. She herself is a dedicated and passionate student of art, history, culture, and language so when she dances, sings or tells stories we see the tree in its entirety - fruit, root and branch. When Habiba performs or teaches, we not only experience these gems of culture, we gain a deeper understanding and fuller appreciation for what we are experiencing."
~ Amy Livingston, Dance Student