by ANDREW RUSONIS For The York Dispatch
The sounds of African dancing and drumming will echo in the normally quieter halls of Martin Library as Kulu Mele delivers two entertaining and educational shows next week.
Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble, an award-winning group of performers dedicated to the cultural rhythms of Africa and Central and South America, will give two free performances Saturday, Feb. 5, at the library in York.
It's Kulu Mele's second time at Martin, and organizers with the library and the Susquehanna Folk Music Society expect it to be just as popular as the group's first performance in 2009.
Fran Keller, Martin's marketing director, said more than 50 people have already signed up for each performance."And if we have 50 people signed up," Keller said, "it means at least 100 people are going to show up." Keller described Kulu Mele as a "huge draw," calling the group's first performance a "top quality" show. "We definitely thought it was worth our time to bring them back," she said.
Jess Hayden, the folk music society's executive director, also praised Kulu Mele's first Martin show. "They're a wonderful group. They were very well received," Hayden said, adding that the performers, who range in age from young children to dancers in their 80s, keep the energy level high. "It's a really exciting show. They're constantly moving." Culture: She said the timing of the show, during Black History Month, was particularly appropriate.
Founded by director and drummer Baba Crowder, a winner of the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Philadelphia's most prestigious award for artists, Kulu Mele features authentically costumed and choreographed music and dances of Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Senegal, Brazil, Haiti, Cuba and African-American traditions. Kulu Mele artistic director and choreographer Dorothy Wilkie, also a Pew Fellowship winner, said she became interested in African dance when she first heard the sounds of Afro-Caribbean drums as a child. "Growing up, we danced the cha-cha, the merengue, the conga; those were our social dances," Wilkie said. Since then, Wilkie has traveled to Africa and the Caribbean in her studies.
First-timers should expect not only traditional African dancing, drumming and singing, Wilkie said, but also an educational opportunity to learn about the art and experience it firsthand. "We do a lot of audience participation," Wilkie said. "And we had great participation at our first show" at Martin Library.
Keller, pointing out that the library hosts a wide variety of cultural shows, including Indian, Irish and Appalachian performances, said the shows are a powerful educational tool. "It's a great way to get your children to experience different cultures," she said.
Hayden promises the Kulu Mele show will be no different, and urged people to come out and experience it. "You'll get a very authentic style of African dancing."
Reach Andrew Rusonis at 854-1575 or news@yorkdispatch.com.
Catch the Show
The Kulu Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble will perform twice Saturday, Feb. 5, at Martin Library, 159 E. Market St., York, in a Susquehanna Folk Music Society program.
The shows start at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Performances are free, but seating is limited.
To pre-register, call the library at 846-5300 or visit www.yorklibraries.org and click on the Martin Library calendar.
For more information about Kulu Mele, visit www.kulumele.org.
Concert Series
