Ballet d'afrique Noire Performs "Mandinka Epic" Feb. 13 at SSU

SALISBURY, MD--The Ballet d'Afrique Noire, who recently made their American premiere at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, DE, performs the "Mandinka Epic," a musical theatrical adventure that depicts the history of the Mandinka tribe of West Africa through a blend of traditional music and dance, at Salisbury State University on Sunday, February 13, at 4 p.m., in SSU's Holloway Hall Auditorium.

Sponsored by the Office of Multiethnic Student Services the performance, free and open to the public, is part of the University's Black History Month celebration.

This romanticized version of the Epic, directed and choreographed by Jean Pierre Leurs and produced by Mamadou Mansour Gueye, is based on the oral history passed down through generations. Sung in the native Wolof language, the cast of 20 performers and 10 musicians use ancient instruments to tell of the struggle for power and wealth that ultimately leads to new discoveries in the 14th century. (According to legend the Mandinka discovered America before Columbus.)

The performance is co-sponsored by SSU's Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts, the Office of Student Affairs, the Student Organization for Activity Planning, the Appropriations Board and the SSU Foundation.

For more information on the performance, or a complete listing of spring cultural events at SSU, contact the Public Relations Office at 410-543-6030.