Madison, Wisconsin – Drum Power will present the tenth-annual Africa Night, a citywide recital featuring students from grades three to twelve from Madison schools, including Lowell Elementary School, O’Keeffe Middle School and East and LaFollette High Schools. Africa Night will take place May 12, 2023, at 6 p.m., in the Starlight Theater at Madison Youth Arts Center, 1055 E. Mifflin Street. There is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for youth.
Donations raise funds to support scholarships to the Drum Power Summer Drum and Dance Camp, which will be held July 17 to 28. There will also be an Intergenerational Community Arts Celebration on Saturday, July 29, with drum and dance classes, taught by master artists, that are open to all ages and abilities.
Drum Power is a youth leadership program in which young people learn traditional West African, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazilian drumming and their cultural and historical significance. Youth also build self-esteem and life skills, focusing on discipline, community and leadership. These life skills are the foundational pillars of the Drum Power program, which is directed by Yorel Lashley with support from Tom Ross.
At Africa Night, the youth performers and master drummers will demonstrate the full scope and power of the traditions they are learning and sharing in Madison. The cultural depth, musical power and intricacy of West African djembe and sabar drums and dance and Brazilian samba traditions will be on display for all to enjoy. The performance will also feature professional guest artists from Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble. Yorel Lashley is an educator, percussionist, and developmental psychologist. He is the Director of Programs in the Office of Professional Learning and Community Education at UW–Madison’s School of Education, and Director of Student Empowerment for the Center for Arts Education and Social and Emotional Learning. He is the director and founder of Drum Power and has supported more than 4,000 young people in New York City, Denver, Colorado, and Madison, Wisconsin since 2001.
