Yellow Pages
The internationally acclaimed West African Kusun ensemble will perform a high-energy dance and percussion show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 at Anacortes High School’s Brodniak Hall. Rosie Cayou of the Samish Indian Nation will lead a welcoming ceremony.
“This is their only stop in Washington. They should be fabulous,” said Rita James, public relations coordinator for the Anacortes Arts Festival.
One of Ghana’s most innovative and powerful music and dance ensembles, the group’s performances have elicited rave reviews under headlines such as “Kusun electrifies frenzied audience.” Reviewers have lauded the ensemble’s sound as a revival of a vital art.
“Dancer Okuley Benard can bound out from the wings and, with a few powerful leaps, nearly fly into the front row! Benard, a muscular warrior of a dancer, shoots forward with terrifying momentum — then stops dead-on, like a case study in the aesthetic of juxtaposition...,” wrote Janice Steinberg on sandiego.com.
“All four dancers dazzle, with thrusting hips and pelvises, arms that scoop and flick and whip, and legs that sweep to the side so freely you’re scared someone might dislocate a hip.”
The Kusun Ensemble is an extraordinary group of musicians and dancers that includes past members of the National Ballet and the Pan African Orchestra. Although rooted in traditional music, the performers have developed a new brand of music and dance they have dubbed “Nokoko.” They have created innovative rhythms and dances by fusing bass and lead guitar, electrifying jazz, African rhythms and traditional Ghanaian instruments.
Tickets, $15, are available at brownpapertickets.com or at the door. The event is presented by the Anacortes Arts Festival.
Free public multicultural arts workshops, including West African dance and drums, follow on Saturday, Oct. 24, starting at 9 a.m. Visit http://www.anacortesartsfestival.com for locations and registration.
For more information call the festival office at 293-6211 Tuesdays and Thursdays.
