The Dance Department, along with World Dance faculty and Assistant Professor of Dance Zelma Badu-Younge, will present a concert called "AZA!--A Celebration of Music, Dancing and Drumming" at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 15-16) in Doane Dance Center. Several Ghanaian works will be performed by students and Badu-Younge. They will be accompanied by African percussionist Pascal Younge. Music students from West Virginia University will also join them for this concert. Ticket reservations may be made by calling (740) 587-6712. Prices are $5 general admission and $2 for students and seniors.

The concert will consist of seven authentic African dances performed by Denison dance students. The first dance,Kpanlongo, is known as "the dance of the youth" and started during the wake of Ghana's independence as a musical type for entertainment in Accra.Gotais a traditional dance that originated from the Kabre ethnic group of Benin. Dibon is played to accompany farmers returning from a long day of work in the fields. The rhythm comes from the calls of a particular species of birds. Four other pieces,Atsiagbekor, originally a war dance;Bamaaya, a thanksgiving rain dance;Jera, a religious dance; andSofa/Kassa, a Guinean piece performed at life cycle celebrations will be performed as well.

Badu-Younge studied in Canada, the United States, and Ghana. She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in dance choreography from Concordia University, Montreal, and a master's of fine arts in dance ethnology from York University, Toronto. Her master's research took her to West Africa, where she studied the music and dances of Ghana. While there, Badu-Younge also taught African-Contemporary Dance to its national dance company, The Ghana Dance Ensemble. Badu-Younge is now a doctoral candidate with advanced standing in the culture and values education program at McGill University, Montreal.

Presently, Badu-Younge is a guest performer, instructor, and lecturer for West Virginia University's internationally touring African Ensemble, their World Music Center's annual concert, their annual "African Music and Dance" course held in Ghana, West Africa, and for their department of theater, where she teaches "Western and World Dance Forms."

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575