Category — Dance

In honor of Black History Month, internationally known drummers and dance company, WACONGO, will be performing in the Mary T. Christian Auditorium at Thomas Nelson Community College, on Feb. 8 at 8:00 p.m. Free and open to the public, this event is being sponsored by the TNCC Cultural Affairs Committee.

Led by artistic director Elie Kihonia, WACONGO Dance Company is a traditional ensemble of master drummers, dancers and musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who perform the ancestral songs and dances of Central Africa. WACONGO artists have extensively toured Europe, Asia, and North and South America.

Shar Wolff, TNCC Cultural Affairs Committee Chair said, “Their costumes have to be some of the most beautiful I have seen. They have an amazing energy.” She added, “We’re very fortunate to have performers of this caliber coming here.”

WACONGO promotes African culture by presenting the arts of 400 African ethnic groups to the public. Africa’s influence is strong within our culture. Everything from jazz to rock to hip-hop bears the indelible stamp of that continent. For more information please call, Victoria Mathis at 825-2779.

Release #08-0104

Thomas Nelson Community College will celebrate African-American History Month with a wide array of cultural events and presentations to be held on the College’s Hampton and Historic Triangle campuses. TNCC students and members of the community at large are invited to celebrate the rich and diverse contributions of the African American community. All activities are free, open to the general public and suitable for families. Highlights are listed below. For additional information, please contact the Office of Student Activities at 825-2863.

• That’s Slammin’: Queen Sheba
  Wednesday, February 8 at 1:30 p.m., Wythe Hall Gallery
  Queen Sheba performs her original, award-winning slam poetry, to help gain an understanding of this powerful new art form.
• African-American Cinema: The Untold Story about a Place Called Hollywood
  Friday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Wythe Hall Gallery
  This presentation takes you on a journey along a path of success stories and triumphs of African American cinema artists. This journey will give you a practical lesson on the Black experience in Hollywood. Back by popular demand, this exhibit features African American contributions to movies, literature, theater and more.
• Legacy of Weyanoke
  Friday, February 10, 7:00 p.m., Mary T. Christian Auditorium, Templin Hall
  An a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in the songs and stories of the African Diaspora, Legacy of Weyanoke takes their audiences on a journey that pays tribute to that taken by the African ancestors. Telling the story of the first known African settlement in North America through songs and stories, the journey includes countless encounters with Native Americans, who became coworkers, allies, friends and family members.
• Special Movie Presentation: Separate but Equal (film will be shown in two parts)
  • Hampton Campus:
    Part I: Tuesday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m., Room 237, Wythe Hall
    Part II: Thursday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m., Room 237, Wythe Hall
  • Historic Triangle Campus:
    Part I: Tuesday, February 9 at 11:00 a.m., Student Lounge
    Part II: Thursday, February 16 at 11:00 a.m., Student Lounge
  • The dramatic events leading from a small rural classroom to the Supreme Court decision that outlawed segregation are powerfully reenacted in this contemporary screen classic, beautifully scripted and superbly portrayed by some of Hollywood’s finest actors. Sidney Poitier is Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP lawyer who took the struggle for equal rights to the highest court in the land. Burt Lancaster plays John W. Davis, the opposing counsel, and Richard Riley is Chief Justice Earl Warren, who rallied the Court to the landmark ruling. The true story behind the most important legal battle of our time: Brown vs. Board of Education.
• Daniel Ssuuna
  Thursday, February 23, 1:30 p.m., Gators Cafeteria, Griffin Hall
  Celebrate the diversity of the African-American culture through the music, dance and drum of East African artist Daniel Ssuuna.

News Releases @ TNCC – For Immediate Release
For more information please contact the Office of Public Relations (757) 825-2725

The Mary T.Christian Auditorium on the Hampton campus of Thomas Nelson Community College brings to stage the explosive power of Afro-Brazilian drum and dance with the presentation of Nego Gato Music and Dance Ensemble. The performance will take place on Friday, October 28 at 8 p.m. It is free and open to the public. This presentation is suitable for families with children.

Nego Gato Music and Dance Ensemble perform all varieties of Brazilian music ranging from Samba to Merengue to Pagode. The group has performed with Patti Labelle, at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center with International recording artist Daniella Mercury and has just performed with the Originators of Samba Reggae, Oludum, at the Celebrate Brooklyn Series and performed at the Lincoln Center August 25th in New York. Gato’s soulful compositions tell of his life growing up in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, his life playing Capoeira in the streets and his desire for more beauty and fairness in the world. Nego Gato appears through support of Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour. www.negogato.org

The work of Nego Gatobegan thirty years ago when the organization’s Founder & Executive/Artistic Director, was then a young boy performing the beautiful art forms of Capoeira, Orixa dance and Afro-Brazilian music throughout Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. In time, his reputation grew and he earned the nameNego Gato for his acrobatic springs and jumps. Mestre Gato performed throughout Brazil, Latin America and Europe with groups Tenda dos Milagres and Viva Bahia. As his reputation grew so did his travel and he soon found himself teaching and performing throughout the United States.

News Releases @ TNCC – For Immediate Release
For more information please contact the Office of Public Relations (757) 825-2725