As low temperatures and snow descended on Athens during the weekend, attendees of the second annual World Music and Dance Festival were transported to the warmer lands of the Caribbean, Africa and China.
Last year the festival held one concert, Global Excursions, and sold about 1,000 tickets, said Paschal Yao Younge, director of the festival and associate professor of multicultural music education.
This year, the 2,500-seat Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium was almost full for Global Excursions on Friday. The concert showcased the arts of international cultures, including acts featuring the steel drum from Trinidad and the guzheng from China.
“I like working with students here at Ohio University,” said Eric Fountain, the director of this year’s steel drum ensemble. “I taught them how to play ‘Human Nature’ by Michael Jackson the first day, and they were like sponges and just wanted to learn more.”
The steel drum originated in Trinidad, and the instruments’ timbres overlap with each other to make a full sound, said Fountain.
Luwen Zhang, a graduate student studying music therapy, played guzheng, a traditional Chinese plucked instrument with five musical scales.
“I’m very glad that OU offered me the platform to express the beauty of guzheng, and give the audience a first-hand experience,” said Zhang, who has been playing guzheng for 18 years.
The festival concluded Saturday with the Celebration of American Music, which featured the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the two-time Grammy-nominated African-American a cappella ensemble from Nashville.
“I’m excited to have come to share with you our music,” said Paul Kwami, director of the group since 1994.
Kwami added that it’s the first time that the Fisk Jubilee Singers have had choreography to go with their song.
“The whole idea was being able to fit in with their quality of voice, understanding their breath, and their timing,” said Zelma Badu-Younge, co-director of the Ohio University African Ensemble and the dance soloist for the group’s “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand.”
Younge said he was glad the support from other departments made it possible for OU students to come for free and that he hopes to continue the event next year.
“We are doing this again next February,” Younge said. “We use the art as focus, but during the week, we want students to learn and celebrate American culture and other cultures of the world.”
sw454711@ohiou.edu
