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Tech’s West African Drum and Dance Ensemble to host Nani Agbeli for April 20 performance
Ghanian drum and dance teacher and performer Nani Agbeli (top left) will offer a free
concert with Tech’s West African Drum and Dance Ensemble on Saturday, April 20 at
7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Tech University’s Center Stage presents a free Ghanaian drum and dance concert
featuring acclaimed performer Nani Agbeli on Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the
Wattenbarger Auditorium of the Bryan Fine Arts Building on Tech’s campus.
Agbeli is a Ghanaian drum and dance teacher, musician and dancer who will perform
alongside Tech’s West African Drum and Dance Ensemble.
Cale Koester, senior lecturer of educational technology at Tech and a campus host
for the event, says that attendees can expect “an authentic and direct connection
to Ghanaian traditional drum and dance; a form characterized by complex and interconnected
rhythms and movement.”
According to Agbeli, the performance will seek to both entertain and inform; offering
an energetic concert experience while reminding audience members of the ways that
art can uplift diversity.
“Imagine a world where cultural differences are not just tolerated but celebrated.
Diversity is not a source of division but a reason for unity. That is the world we
can create through cultural exchange,” said Agbeli. "By sharing the vibrant and rich
Ghanaian culture, we can promote understanding, appreciation and acceptance of our
differences.”
Center Stage events are paid by student fees and open to the public with priority
seating given to Tech students. Learn more at www.tntech.edu/centerstage/.
The Wattenbarger Auditorium at the Bryan Fine Arts Building is located at 1150 N.
Dixie Avenue, Cookeville.
