Shokoto African Music and Dance Project Performance
Name:
Shokoto African Music and Dance Project Performance
Date:
February 13, 2016
Time:
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM PST
Event Description:
On Saturday, February 13 at 7:30pm the Shokoto Ensemble will perform at the University of Idaho Auditorium as part of Black History Month, co-sponsored by Festival Dance & Performing Arts and the University of Idaho. Shokoto’s music and dance offer a dynamic fusion of rhythms from Ghana and the African Diaspora. “We have a solid foundation in music from Ghana,” says Afroso, “but we push the envelope to present both powerful and soulful drumming, vocals, and dancing to take the audience on a unique and unforgettable journey.”
Tickets for the performance are available through the Festival Dance Office, at Paradise Ridge CD’s, and at the door. Prices are $16 general admission, $14 for students, and $10 for children under 12. UI students will be admitted free and student tickets are available at the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Visit www.festivaldance.org for a video preview of Okaidja and Shokoto.
While in Moscow, Shokoto will also present an educational program entitled, “Dancing Feet and Talking Drums,” for 3rd and 4th grade students from Moscow, Pullman, Colton, Troy and Potlatch, and a program for Moscow High School students. They will also teach a dance master class for the UI Movement Sciences Dance Program. Their residency is assisted by grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, U.S. Bank Foundation and the Latah County Community Foundation.
For Okaidja Afroso, director of Shokoto African Music and Dance Project, performing is a spiritual experience and his goal is to reach out and touch the spirit of the audience members. “Music is a universal language that connects us all together as one people,” says Okaidja. “It is where you can get in touch with your spirit and see deeper into yourself.”
Okaidja Afroso has spent two decades touring Europe, the USA and Canada. He has spanned the globe teaching Ghanaian music and dance and performing in big cities and small towns at varied venues such as performance halls, universities, and outdoor festivals. He was born into a family of singers and songwriters in a small village in Ghana. As a young boy he sang in churches and while he worked weekends as a canoe boy on fishing boats, where the fishermen sang a cappella songs as they worked, and Okaidja passed the long days learning the songs of the great Naaye (sea). By the age of 19, Okaidja was accepted as a professional musician and dancer for the prestigious Ghana Dance Ensemble and became well known for his energetic stage presence. Following a U.S. tour with the ensemble, Okaidja was invited to teach Ghanaian drumming and dance workshops in Germany, and soon he was packing his bags to move to the U.S. to work with Obo Addy’s group, Okropong. Okaidja's career shifted as he began to do extensive research into the connections between African music and the music of the African Diaspora. The discoveries he made prompted him to form Shókoto Music & Dance Project. With Shókoto, Okaidja shifted his focus away from Ghanaian traditional songs to music inspired by the African Diaspora including Brazil, Cuba, Peru and the Deep South.
Tickets for the performance are available through the Festival Dance Office, at Paradise Ridge CD’s, and at the door. Prices are $16 general admission, $14 for students, and $10 for children under 12. UI students will be admitted free and student tickets are available at the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Visit www.festivaldance.org for a video preview of Okaidja and Shokoto.
While in Moscow, Shokoto will also present an educational program entitled, “Dancing Feet and Talking Drums,” for 3rd and 4th grade students from Moscow, Pullman, Colton, Troy and Potlatch, and a program for Moscow High School students. They will also teach a dance master class for the UI Movement Sciences Dance Program. Their residency is assisted by grants from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, U.S. Bank Foundation and the Latah County Community Foundation.
For Okaidja Afroso, director of Shokoto African Music and Dance Project, performing is a spiritual experience and his goal is to reach out and touch the spirit of the audience members. “Music is a universal language that connects us all together as one people,” says Okaidja. “It is where you can get in touch with your spirit and see deeper into yourself.”
Okaidja Afroso has spent two decades touring Europe, the USA and Canada. He has spanned the globe teaching Ghanaian music and dance and performing in big cities and small towns at varied venues such as performance halls, universities, and outdoor festivals. He was born into a family of singers and songwriters in a small village in Ghana. As a young boy he sang in churches and while he worked weekends as a canoe boy on fishing boats, where the fishermen sang a cappella songs as they worked, and Okaidja passed the long days learning the songs of the great Naaye (sea). By the age of 19, Okaidja was accepted as a professional musician and dancer for the prestigious Ghana Dance Ensemble and became well known for his energetic stage presence. Following a U.S. tour with the ensemble, Okaidja was invited to teach Ghanaian drumming and dance workshops in Germany, and soon he was packing his bags to move to the U.S. to work with Obo Addy’s group, Okropong. Okaidja's career shifted as he began to do extensive research into the connections between African music and the music of the African Diaspora. The discoveries he made prompted him to form Shókoto Music & Dance Project. With Shókoto, Okaidja shifted his focus away from Ghanaian traditional songs to music inspired by the African Diaspora including Brazil, Cuba, Peru and the Deep South.
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