Friday night, the College of Fine Arts hosted its 12th annual World Music and Dance Concert, part of the Global Arts Festival, from April 1-6. The concert took the audience around the world, intending to introduce people to new cultures with traditional music and movement.
The concert’s directors were Zelma Badu-Younge, director of the School of Dance and a professor of dance, and Paschal Yao Younge, a professor of music education. The two worked on nearly every aspect of planning the concert since last fall, from fundraising and teaching the students to preparing to perform themselves.
“It’s not easy, we are professors so we are doing everything,” Younge said. “The joy of organizing is all because of the students.”
Before the World Music and Dance Concert was created, the College of Fine Arts started with an African Music and Dance Concert. After about 10 years, Younge looked into diversifying the concert to further students’ awareness of different cultures.
“I realized the courses we are teaching – I teach Introduction to World Music and she (Badu-Younge) teaches Dance Cultures of the World – I realized that our students have no clue about the world,” Younge said. “So we decided to open it up.”
About four years ago, Matthew Shaftel, dean of the College of Fine Arts, worked with Younge to create the Global Arts Festival. This event does not solely focus on music and dance but also incorporates fashion shows, film screenings and other art displayed from various countries throughout the week.
This concert was one event in the Global Arts Festival, and the directors focused on presenting traditional art from nine countries. Students in the Ohio University African Ensemble, Ohio University Percussion Studio, Kashtan School of Ukrainian Dance and Singing Men of Ohio performed alongside faculty and local guest artists.
Each year, Younge and Badu-Younge change the cast to present different music and dances from a variety of countries and expand the audience’s recognition of cultural art forms.
“In the past, we've brought in groups directly from China, from Africa,” Badu-Younge said. “So it's not just locally that people are performing. Last year, we had a group that performs in the U.S. but also in Cuba, so we try to make it diverse.”
The concert started off in West Africa, specifically Senegal and Guinea where the Ohio University African Ensemble performed “Mande Medley,” an upbeat drum circle. Younge addressed the audience and encouraged everyone to stand up and dance during the performances.
Next, the crowd traveled to Japan where the Ohio University Percussion Studio performed “Taiko” and “Ikari no Kaminari,” drum music inspired by the 12th-century journeys to the Kumano Mountains. Then, the Singing Men of Ohio sang “Son de Camaguey,” inspired by Afro-Cuban music.
After this, the audience arrived in Ukraine, where the Kashtan School of Ukrainian Dance and HK Cleveland School of Bandura each performed two works.
Following the intermission, the Ohio University Percussion Ensemble performed “Sente Ne Kola,” a piece of music on a large embaire xylophone. The director of the percussion ensemble is Roger Braun, and he described how Ugandan music is something the students study regularly.
“We have a really wide curriculum and percussion includes classical music, jazz and world music,” Braun said. “It's not just something that we do for one week that is special. This has been part of our curriculum for the entire semester, and it's part of a normal rotation of what students study in percussion.”
Then, the HK Cleveland School of Bandura and the Kashtan School of Ukranian Dance came back for the Hopak, a cheerful Ukranian folk dance that typically ends a concert.
To close off the night, the Ohio University Alumni African Ensemble played “Gota,” originating from the Kabre ethnic group of Benin in West Africa. Then, there were a multitude of pieces in “The Carnival,” all circulating around dances from Trinidad and Tobago with music from the Ohio University Steel Band.
The World Music and Dance Concert immersed the Athens community in rich artistic culture. From vibrant costumes to unique sounds, student organizations and local artists came together to create a diverse program.
“We want the students to know that the arts are ways to the culture of people,” Younge said. “Through the festival and the concert, that is a community, (and) our students will have a broader perspective on life in general.”
