Grammy-Nominated 'Peru Negro' Performs Jan.30 & 31 at Yale

Yale Repertory Theatre and World Performance Project at Yale present the Grammy-nominated music and dance ensemble Peru Negro for two performances only on January 30 and 31 at 8PM at the University Theatre (222 York Street, New Haven). Tickets range from $20 to $48 and can be purchased online at www.yalerep.org/wpp, by phone (203) 432-1234, or in person at the Yale Rep Box Office (1120 Chapel Street, at York Street).  Group discounts are also available.

 "Formed over 35 years ago to preserve Peru's African heritage, PERÚ NEGRO has performed all over the world and has been appointed Cultural Ambassadors of Peruvian Culture by the Peruvian Government.  Fusing the percussive rhythms of West Africa, Cuba, and Peru, the ensemble performs traditional and original Afro-Peruvian music on familiar instruments as well as on imaginatively homemade ones—a ten-piece band beats on wooden crates, claps tithing boxes, and shakes a donkey jawbone like a tambourine. All the while dancers and musicians lead us on an astounding trip through a variety of Afro-Peruvian dances. Well-known to American audiences, PERÚ NEGRO has performed at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Dance Africa Festival, UCLA's Royce Hall, and Lincoln Center, among others. The sold-out run of The Veiled Monologues earlier this season marked the beginning of the collaboration between World Performance Project at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre. Continuing this successful partnership, the presentation of PERÚ NEGRO includes several free events connected to their performances in New Haven, including free percussion and dance workshops with the company," states a press release.

Extra attractions which are free and open to the public include a percussion workshop on January 30, 2008 from 2:00-4:00PM at the Afro-American Cultural Center, located at 211 Park Street. The program will include a hands-on workshop on the quijada de burro, cajon, and cajita instruments used to create Perú Negro's distinctive sound.

There will also be a free symposium on "intangible cultural heritage and the global performance industry," sponsored by the World Performance Project and Whitney Humanities Center. It will take place on January 30, 2008 from 4:30-6:00PM at the 220 York Street, Ballroom In 2003, UNESCO launched an initiative to safeguard intangible cultural heritage (ICH), those performing arts, oral expressions, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and skills that communities recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This symposium will trace intangible heritage as these practices develop and interact with the global performance touring industry.

Also there is an energizing interactive session on Peru Negro's Afro-Peruvian dances which will also take place at the 220 York Street, Ballroom from 2:00-4:00pm on January 31, 2008.

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