FESTIVAL OF SOUTH AFRICAN DANCE FEATURING THE PANTSULA DANCE COMPANY AND GUMBOOTS – STIMELA THE MUSICAL
Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at 7:30PM
Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
With precise and technical footwork, often to the accompaniment of house music, Pantsula is rooted in street culture and used to respond to cultural and political issues. Stimela the Musical, featuring an ensemble of 20 men, is a unique South African story that tells a tale of rural African men who come by train from all walks of life in search of greener pastures in the city of gold, Johannesburg.
Pre-show talk in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:15 pm.
Pre-show Hip-Hop/Pantsula Demonstration in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:45pm. Join JOHNNIE CRUISE MERCER, the artistic director of Johnnie Cruise Mercer/TheREDprojectNYC, a choreographer, educator, and freelance performer in the New York City area and CRAZEFAZE, the local all female hip hop crew from Western Mass directed by Rebecca Bustillos for high energy, interactive dance demos before the show!
Ticket Prices
$35, $30, $20; Five College Students & Youth 17 and Under: $10
Please call the Box Office to see if you or someone in your party is eligible for a discount.
South African prix fixe dinner available at the UClub before the concert. Details at fineartscenter.com/prixfixe.
Click here to view the playbill.
Additional Programming
Film Screening of Amandla: A Revolution in Four-Party Harmony
Thursday, October 12 at 7p.m. LOCATION CHANGE: Isenberg School of Management Rm 137 (Flavin Family Auditorium) FREE
A film screening of Amandla: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony. The film provides a historical musical counterpoint to the sociopolitical context in the develop.m.ent of the Gumboots and Pantsula dance forms. Seating capacity is limited – first come, first served.
Browse the Playbill
“The thigh-slapping boot stomping routines are backed by a very loud three-piece band and accompanied by glorious singing in the style of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It’s also very funny and very tender and the company work as hard as miners to bring you the gold. The men are performing at a variety of venues throughout the fringe and they will really leave you calling for more.”--- Ewart Shaw, The Advertiser
Tango Buenos Aires: “The Spirit of Argentina”
Wednesday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m.Fine Arts Center Concert Hall
This renowned ensemble presents The Spirit of Argentina, a loving tribute to Carlos Gardel, a French-Argentine singer, songwriter, composer, and actor, and the most prominent figure in the history of tango. You’ll discover his passions for futbol, boxing, and gauchos, and get glimpses into his life in Paris, his appearance on Broadway, and his friendship with the young Astor Piazzola. Tango Buenos Aires has become one of Argentina’s great cultural exports, known throughout the world as the most authentic and uncompromising representative of the tango.
Pre-show talk in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:15 pm. Tango Demonstration in the Concert Hall Lobby at 6:45 pm.
Slavic Soul Party!
Thursday, November 16 at 8:00pm
Bowker Auditorium
Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! New York City’s official #1 brass band for BalkanSoul GypsyFunk. “With razor-sharp precision, juggernaut force, and a healthy dose of playfulness, these guys start out in overdrive and never let up,” writes Banning Eyre. “Slavic Soul Party! offers a gut punch to preconceptions about traditional music, world music, pop music, dance music.”
Sacred Dances and Legends Of Hawai’i
Michael Pili Pang and the Halau Hula Ka No’eau Ensemble
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Bowker Auditorium
Celebrating 30 years of performing, the Halau Hula Ka No’eau Ensemble captivates audiences with their exquisite, culturally authentic Hawaiian dance. At this performance, choreographer and cultural historian Michael Pili Pang presents a new work, based on legends about the divine creators of the Hawaiian Islands, that innovatively combines traditional hula, music, and chants. (This show was rescheduled after a weather cancellation the previous season.)
Pre-show talk in Bowker Auditorium at 6:30 pm.
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