Dipo Dancer Painting of Ghanaian Woman's Rite of Passage, "Beaded Waist"

Dressed with myriad beads around her waist, this young girl dances during the Dipo celebrations. "The calculations and diagrams in the background represent the fact that everything about Dipo, and her role, is perfectly planned," says Dio of his original portrait. He works with pens and rulers to create a modern interpretation of a historic tradition. Dipo is a festival marking young girls' passage into womanhood; it is celebrated in April of each year by the Odumase people in the Eastern region of Ghana.