Contemporary dance, hip-hop troupe to perform at Purdue, Nov 12

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A modern dance concert will explore cultural influences indigenous to Louisiana and their effect on the hip-hop culture Nov. 12 at Purdue’s Stewart Center in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The “When the Delta Speaks” contemporary dance concert will be performed at 7 p.m. in the Loeb Playhouse. The concert, choreographed by Millicent Johnnie, focuses on Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. The performance utilizes the hip-hop aesthetic as a vehicle for providing an artistic response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Johnnie has traveled internationally to research dance and has choreographed performances around the country. A native of Lafayette, La., she has researched the connection between indigenous Louisiana dance forms to that of Brazil and Cuba through the Atlantic Slave Trade. Johnnie served on the dance faculty at Tulane and Dillard universities and has toured as resident choreographer and rehearsal director for the Urban Bush Women. Her choreography has been featured on ESPN, the Sunshine Network, Dancenow/NYC Dance Harlem, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the Lincoln Center in New York, and the New Orleans Jazz Dance Project.

The performance is part of the Black Cultural Center’s semester-long examination of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the retention of African-American culture and art.

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Cultural Centers as one of the best centers of its kind. The center’s director Renee Thomas said the center helps the community gain a greater understanding of African-American heritage and supports and enhances cultural diversity in the community. More information about the Black Cultural Center is available at http://purdue.edu/BCC.

Black Cultural Center speaker to make a case for racial reparations

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A professor of African-American studies at the University of California, Berkeley will examine the continued impact of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath on New Orleans’ African-American community in a lecture Nov. 10 at the Stewart Center.

Charles P. Henry’s lecture, titled “We Are Americans: The Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the Politics of Language,” will be given at 7 p.m. in Fowler Hall. In the epilogue of his book “Long Overdue: The Politics of Racial Reparations,” (2007) Henry connects the tragic events following the hurricane to the need for a public dialogue on racial reparations. The event is sponsored by the Black Cultural Center Library, African-American Resource Program and Research Center and the Diversity Resource Office/DiversiKey. It is free and open to the public.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Henry to the National Council for the Humanities for a six-year term. He is the former president of the National Council for Black Studies and former board chair of Amnesty International USA. Henry authored and edited seven books and more than 80 articles and reviews on black politics, public policy and human rights. His other books include “Ralph Bunche: Model Negro or American Other” (1998) and “Foreign Policy and the Black (Inter)national Interest” (2000). He was the Distinguished Fulbright Chair in American History and Politics at the University of Bologna, Italy, in 2003 and taught at the University of Tours in France as a Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair in 2006.

In April Henry received the Chancellor’s Award for advancing institutional excellence at the University California, Berkeley. A member of the faculty since 1981, he chaired the African-American Studies Department from 2000-02.

The lecture is part of the Black Cultural Center’s semester-long examination of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the retention of African-American culture and art.

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Cultural Centers as one of the best centers of its kind. The center helps the community gain a greater understanding of the African-American heritage and supports and enhances cultural diversity on campus and in the community.

‘Second Line’ parade highlights Black Cultural Center event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The annual Black Cultural Center Friends and Family Day will bring New Orleans tradition and culture to the Purdue campus on Sept. 20 as the center focuses on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the retention of African-American art and culture as their theme for the fall semester. The public is invited to attend.

The Hot 8 Brass Band from New Orleans will lead a procession from Ross-Ade Stadium to the Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St. Participants are asked to gather under the Boilermaker bronze statue immediately following the Purdue-Central Michigan football game and march as part of the “Second Line” parade to the center. The “Second Line” is a tradition that dates back to the 1890s and is often associated with jazz funerals.

Serving as grand marshal for the center’s “Second Line” parade is Black Mardi Gras Indian Irving “Honey” Banister. The Black Mardi Gras Indian tradition came from an alliance between enslaved Africans and Native Americans. Historians said that tribes such as the Choctaw, Seminoles and Chickasaws in Louisiana helped enslaved Africans and men of color survive in the swamps after they escaped the plantations.

“The Second Line and Black Mardi Gras Indian traditions grew out of black communities that existed and still exist today,” said Jolivette Anderson-Douoning, the center’s facility and program supervisor. “We developed our own parades, insurance companies, ways of worship and arts and entertainment in response to being excluded from human activity because of racism and prejudice. We developed a system for taking care of each other on U.S. soil the same as was done among tribes in various villages in Africa. The Second Line tradition is but a glimpse into seeing the world as it is seen by many African-Americans.”

Upon arrival at the center, attendees will enjoy a sampling of New Orleans cuisine, children’s activities, beading and a mask-making workshop. The Hot 8 Brass Band will perform Hip Hop, jazz and funk style music. New Orleans, influenced heavily by African-American musicians, developed a style of brass band music that has been distinct to the city since the late 1880s.

“The New Orleans’ brass band sound can be heard from multiple establishments in the French Quarter and various locations throughout the Crescent City,” said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. “We hope people will get a small taste of the New Orleans culture, cuisine and sound at this event.”

During the fall semester, the Black Cultural Center’s cultural arts series will include lectures as well as artistic performances as part of its semester-long examination on the retention of African-American art and culture in New Orleans under the theme “What the Waters Washed Away.”

Established in 1969, the Black Cultural Center is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Cultural Centers as one of the best centers of its kind. Thomas said the center helps the community gain a greater understanding of African-American heritage and supports and enhances cultural diversity in the community. More information about the Black Cultural Center is available at http://purdue.edu/BCC

Purdue West Lafayette Campus Events, Thursday, April 10

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Here is a list of events happening Thursday, April 10, at the Purdue University West Lafayette campus.

Thursday, April 10

– William E. Boeing Distinguished Lecture. Sigmar Wittig, former council chair of European Space Agency. School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 10:30 a.m. Fowler Hall, STEW. Reception following, third floor, Neil Armstrong Hall.

– The Diversity in the Classroom Project. Faculty panel facilitated by Carolyn Johnson, director, Diversity Resource Office. 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Room 218, STEW.

– Global University Convocation. A presidential inaugural event. Moderator: Brian Lamb, alumnus (LA 63) and C-SPAN co-founder and CEO. 2:30-4:30 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, STEW. For names of panelists, see www.purdue.edu/inauguration and click Schedule.

– Haraka Fest. Black Cultural Center. 7 p.m. BCC. Also Friday.

– Dierks Bentley concert. Country music, with guests Bucky Covington and Luke Bryan. Purdue Convocations. 7:30 p.m. Elliott Hall of Music. Tickets: public, $36.50; Purdue and Ivy Tech students plus others under age 19, $29.50.

April 10-11

– PAJAMA (Purdue Arts Jewelry and Metals Association) spring jewelry sale. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Under mural, Stewart Center.

April 10-19

– Purdue Theatre. “Hair” by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt McDermott. Marquee Series. 7:30 p.m. April 10-12, 17-19; 3 p.m. April 13; midnight (end of day) April 12, 18. Nancy T. Hansen Theatre, Pao Hall. Tickets: public, $18; 62+ seniors, $15; students, $12. Recommended for mature audiences.

All week

– Through April 20. “Autotelematic Spider Bots.” Stewart Center Gallery. Made by artist Ken Rinaldo, an associate professor of art and technology at Ohio State University, the Spider Bots are five spider-like sculptures that interact with the public in real-time and self-modify their behaviors based on their interaction with the viewer, themselves and their environment. They will function for 15-minute periods at 10:30 a.m. and at 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. daily. Sponsored by Purdue Galleries. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, plus Thursday until 8 p.m., and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

– Through April 20. “Machinic Drift.” Robert L. Ringel Gallery in the Purdue Memorial Union. Various interactive works and imagery by artist Ken Rinaldo, including robotic fish and electronic sound work sculptures. Sponsored by Purdue Galleries. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, plus Thursday until 8 p.m., and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

– WBAA radio membership drive. 920-AM and 101.3-FM. More at http://www.wbaa.org.