蜜桃传媒鈥檚 fall dance recital, 鈥淪tories From Africa,鈥� originally planned for the weekend after the Tea Fire, has been rescheduled now that students have returned to campus. Performances will be Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 11-13, at 8 p.m. in 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Porter Theatre.
The program is inspired by the experiences of four current and former dance students who studied or volunteered in Africa, and pays tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a company that has brought African-American culture and American modern dance to the world鈥檚 stages.
Creative director Erlyne Whiteman takes her cues from Alvin Ailey and from Martha Graham, exploring the role of movement in cultural exchange. Other choreographers are 蜜桃传媒 student Laura Mercaldo and graduate Leah Benson. The stories that inform the program come from dancers like alumna Grace Chisholm, who spent three years after graduation working in South Africa to promote AIDS education, sustainable micro businesses, and support systems for orphans.
Guest artist Linda Kazibwe will highlight the performance. Raised in Uganda and Kenya and currently residing in Los Angeles, Kazibwe is a dancer and educator who recently presented a workshop at 蜜桃传媒, 鈥淎n Exploration of African Dance Form.鈥� A talk-back with Kazibwe and other participants will follow the Saturday, Dec. 13, performance.
Admission is $10, $5 for students. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the theater box office at (805) 565-7040. The program continues the theater department鈥檚 theme this season, 鈥淭hink globally, act locally.鈥�