An eccentric dancer, choreographer and writer, Catherine Nakawesa is Handshake 302’s current resident artist. She will present “Made in Shenzhen,” a dance performance inspired by her drama immersion into the city’s multifaceted culture, at a free salon Friday night.

Nakawesa was first exposed to contemporary dance in 2001, while she was a student of electrical engineering at Makerere University Kampala in Uganda.

She is developing a practice of “applied dance,” a term she’s coined to refer to the concept of making dance relevant to everyday living and global development. She said that during her stay in Shenzhen, she has had the privilege of collaborating with local artists, makers and dwellers.

She is the artistic director of Beautiful Feet Dance Company, which has mostly engaged in projects with female dancers. She is also the co-founder of Clay Dance Company, which runs programs to mentor young people through dance. She was the creative director of Viva! from 2011-2016, a program of Viva Ltd., a health and wellness company which employs dance, among other tools, to help people experience holistic living.

Handshake 302, a project initiated by Shenzhen-based U.S. anthropologist Mary Ann O’Donnell, engages with Shenzhen’s urban village Baishizhou through art, theater and social media documentary projects.

Time: 7:30-9 p.m., July 28

Venue: Now · Phenomenon Urban Studio, 502, 5/F, Building 41, Shahe Industrial Park, Baishizhou, Nanshan District (南山区白石洲沙河工业区41栋5楼502现·象城市工作室)

Metro: Line 1, Baishizhou Station (白石洲站), Exit A

(SD News)