and Drum Ensemble celebrates the rhythms of Africa SUNY College at Brockport's Sankofa African Dance and Drum Ensemble will present African, Brazilian and Caribbean dance at its very best. Concerts are Thursday through Saturday, May 2, 3 and 4, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 5, at 2 p.m. in the Hartwell Dance Theatre, Utica Street. Tickets are $10 general and $7 seniors and students and are available at the Tower Fine Arts Box Office, Holley Street, or by calling (585) 395-ARTS. This year's celebration features masqueraders, tricksters and high-powered vocal artists Clara Reyes, Melanie Post and Pamela Beatty, bringing to the stage a truly engaging show of African-based fantasy and visceral excitement. A new musical score, orchestrated from authentic source materials and adapted for his young musicians by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance and Master Drummer Khalid Abdul N'Faly Saleem, will be performed for Brockport audiences for the first time. Special contributions include authentic dance pieces from Ghana and the Ivory Coast by graduate students Wanishia Hicks, Michelle Whitt, Marissa Hallo and Christopher Walker. Highlighting these dynamic works will be the costumes of Sandra Cain, resident costume artist, and Christian Tucker, production director and lighting designer. May 4 is Sweet Saturday. Enjoy desserts before the curtain rises and during intermission. |
