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'When the Music Changes, So Does the Dance' theme of annual observances at WVU
February is Black History Month
February is Black History Month, and West Virginia University’s Center for Black Culture is marking the moment with a celebration of the music that has moved feet and changed minds for generations.
“Black music is an amazing cultural expression,” said Todd McFadden, associate director. “It’s righteous and it’s relevant, and it cuts across all genres and color lines as it always has.”
The old field hollers from the plantation days morphed into the Delta blues, which in turn gave birth to jazz, bebop and rock ‘n’ roll. The music that came out of the Motown and Stax/Volt recording studios in the 1960s served as a social soundtrack to turbulent times. And from its urban rise in the 1980s, hip hop has helped foster today’s spoken word movement, with offerings, McFadden said, that are every bit about identity and place as they are rhymes, beats and personas.
“Our theme, ‘When the Music Changes, So Does the Dance,’ is taken directly from an African proverb,” he said. “It’s about the genius and creativity of recreating ourselves to meet every circumstance – and to do that without ever losing the essence of who we are.”
During WVU’s annual Black History Month celebration, it’s also about taking in a full range of events that are insightful, exhilarating and entertaining.
Acclaimed Spoken Word artist Freedom Speaks will read from her works, and WVU Arts and Entertainment will host a special performance of Richard Loring’s “African Footprint,” a look at the history of South Africa through a breathtaking blend of Afro-centric and Euro-centric music and dance.
Schedule of events:
- “Images from Katrina: A Survivor’s Story,” photo exhibit by Greg Avery, Monongalia Arts Center, downtown Morgantown; continues through Feb. 22
- Feb. 5 – “The Black Light Lounge,” evening of poetry, art and music with special guest, Spoken Word artist Freedom Speaks, 7 p.m., Erickson Alumni Center
- Feb. 20 – “The State of Black Music, from Classical to Hip-Hop,” panel featuring Constina Charbonnette, Kevin Frieson and Janis Rezena Peri, 7 p.m., Mountainlair Rhododendron Room
- Feb. 25 – Richard Loring’s “African Footprint,” WVU Arts and Entertainment presentation, 7:30 p.m., Creative Arts Center. Tickets: Mountainlair or Creative Arts Center box offices, Ticketmaster outlets (including Giant Eagle below the Mountaineer mall), http://www.ticketmaster.com/ or 304-292-0220
- Feb. 27 – Teresa Reed discussing her book, “The Holy Profane: Religion in Black Popular Music,” 7 p.m., Mountainlair Rhododendron Room
- Feb. 28 – “African American Read-In,” read-aloud event hosted by Sigma Tau Delta English honor society and Center for Black Culture, 7 p.m. Mountainlair (room to be announced)
For more information on Black History Month at WVU, contact McFadden at todd.mcfadden@mail.wvu or 304-293-7029.