[Wadabo_updates] Ologunde Afro-Brazilian performance 10/20

Dear African Dance & Drum Community,

Saturday, Oct. 20 th

Ologundê offers a thrilling performance of Afro-Brazilian music and dance packed with virtuosic feats of athleticism and tradition - part of three-day Brandeis MusicUnitesUS residency series

 

Capoeira! Maculélé! Samba de Roda! Audience members will witness all of these rich Afro-Brazilian traditions as the New York-based Ologundê ensemble celebrates the culture of Salvador, Bahia with an extraordinary repertoire of music, dance and martial arts at Brandeis on Oct. 20.

Location and Tickets

"Ologundê: An Afro-Brazilian Journey in Music and Dance," will be held at 8 p.m. on Oct. 20 in the Slosberg Recital Hall located on the Brandeis University campus at 415 South St. in Waltham, Mass. Tickets are $20/$10 and are available by calling 781-736-3400. Group and child rates are available. Subscribers attend one concert at half price. Subscribe to both the Lydian String Quartet and World Music Series for the greatest discount. For more information visit www.brandeis.edu/departments/music/tickets.html .

Media Contact: Marsha MacEachern ( marsham@brandeis.edu, 781-736-4203) Ticket Information: 781-736-3400 (option 5)

The culminating world music concert, "Ologundê: An Afro-Brazilian Journey in Music and Dance," offers a stunning evening that includes "capoeira," the breathtaking martial arts dance; "maculêlê," a warrior dance that utilizes sticks and machetes and was originally created in the sugar cane fields by Africans brought over as slaves; the exhilarating "samba de roda," which can be traced back to the semba of Angola; and "candomblé," a synthesis of the Yoruba and Catholic religions in which various orixás (gods) are invoked. According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, "when Ologundê members perform, color, clamor and captivation are the order of the day."

The concert is part of Brandeis' MusicUnitesUS: World Music Concert Series. This popular series invites audiences from the Boston area and beyond to experience world cultures through the universal narrative of music. Judith Eissenberg, MusicUnitesUS founder and director, says this is an evening "not to be missed."

"I've seen Ologundê -- the embodiment of tradition and history through their performance is eloquent and deeply moving," Eissenberg said. "The sheer beauty of the costumes and expressivity of the dance is a feast for the eyes and soul, and then of course, there is the capoeira!" She describes this dance as a combination of break dance, acrobatics and ballet, which is a "dazzling display of physical artistry that will leave you gasping."

Ologundê, which ranges from 8-15 members, is comprised of Brazilians living in the United States and Brazil. The group includes former members of world-renowned music and dance troupes and is under the direction of noted percussionist Dendê from the famed Timbalada band. The ensemble has performed throughout the United States since its formation in 2002 and toured Greece as part of the Cultural Olympiad, appearing at the Kalamata Dance Festival and at the Athens Festival at the Acropolis.

The three-day MusicUnitesUS residency with Ologundê offers a series of open classes, roundtable discussions, a public school education series, film, a dance workshop, and concerts, all open to the public. Free pre concert talks before World Music Concerts are held at the Rose Art Museum from 7- 7:45 p.m. For a full residency schedule log onto:  http://www.brandeis.edu/MusicUnitesUS/schedule-fall2007.html.

 

About MusicUnitesUS

MusicUnitesUS is a three-tiered program of Brandeis University that encompasses an "Intercultural Residency Series," a "Public School Education Program," and a "World Music Series." Since the program began in 2003, the mission has been to further the understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures through music.