Madison, Wisconsin – The UW Community Arts Collaboratory celebrates youth arts – Drum Power Africa Night and Whoopensocker LIVE! in the Starlight Theater at Madison Youth Arts Center.
Drum Power Africa Night, eleventh-annual citywide recital features students from grades three to eight from Madison schools, including Lowell and Leopold Elementary Schools and O’Keeffe Middle School. Africa Night will take place May 17, 2023, at 6 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for youth. 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. Donations raise funds to support scholarships to the Drum Power Summer Drum, Dance and Arts Camp, which will be held July 22 to August 2. There will also be an Intergenerational Community Arts Celebration on Saturday, August 3, with drum and dance classes, taught by master artists Assane Konte and Quenia Reibeiro, that are open to all ages and abilities.
Whoopensocker LIVE! Whoopensocker performers will bring to life the extraordinary creativity of student authors on stage, featuring works from Lincoln, Sandburg, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Stephens elementary schools! Whoopensocker LIVE! will take place May 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. Tickets range from $5 for youth to $40 to pay-it-forward. Whoopensocker shows are an innovative combination of unique sketches, songs, and physical theater.
About Drum Power
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. Drum Power has supported more than 4,000 young people in New York City, Denver, Colorado, and Madison, Wisconsin since 2001.
About Whoopensocker:
Whoopensocker is an arts education residency program focused on creativity, expression, creative writing, and collaboration. It’s a dynamic community building experience for the whole classroom. Using performing and creative arts to design innovative classroom experiences, Whoopensocker’s ensemble of teaching artists bring a toolbox of new ideas and experiences into the classroom. The object of a Whoopensocker residency is to empower youth as art-makers. Whoopensocker is a six-week residency program that is ideal for elementary schools.
About the UW–Madison Arts Collaboratory
The UW–Madison Community Arts Collaboratory — or Arts Collab — is housed in the School of Education’s office of Professional Learning and Community Education (PLACE), and provides research-based arts opportunities for youth, professional development for educators, and is home to a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab.
Thank you to our program supporters and partners:
Madison Metropolitan School District, Dane Arts, American Girl’s Fund for Children, Madison Community Foundation, Ensuring the Arts for Any Given Child Madison, and many individuals.
