As part of Union’s 2009 Founders Day Series, the National Dance Troupe of Nigeria brings its dancing, drumming and acting talents to campus Friday, Feb. 27 for a free performance at 7 p.m. at the Nott Memorial.
The troupe also will meet with students, tour the campus and discuss its musical and cultural traditions.
The troupe’s 30 members perform ritual dance theater that embodies an ancestral past in which Nigerian deities, human spirits, animals, plants and elemental forces coexist in dramatic and comedic traditional stories.
The performances are noted for being energetic, colorful spectacles that use vibrant masks, costumes, drumming, song and chants to explore everyday and sacred beliefs in Nigerian culture.
The troupe is a division of the National Theatre of Nigeria. Under the direction of Ahmed Yerima, it is on a brief but intensive goodwill tour of the United States after finally securing visas. The dancers will stop at numerous Midwestern universities and colleges and will conclude with performances in Texas and New York.
The event is co-sponsored by the President’s Office, Academic Affairs, Minerva Council, Green House Council, Modern Languages, UNITAS and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
For more information, contact Profs. Daniel Mosquera (mosquerd@union.edu), Cheikh Ndiaye (ndiayec@union.edu) or Megan Ferry (ferrym@union.edu),