Bush Mango
This spring, Bush Mango Drum & Dance will hold two events designed to inspire and energize its audiences and make a difference in the community.
Bush Mango performing (Photo: Elissa Sundman)
At 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 13th and Saturday, April 14th, Bush Mango’s 13-member, multi-generational company will present its spring performance. Entitled Wongai! (which means Let’s Go! in Susu, a West African language), the performance is a celebration of the poly-rhythmic music and dynamic dancing of West Africa.
Advance purchase tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for youth 12 and under and seniors and can be purchased at www.bushmango.org. Tickets at the door on performance evenings are $18 for general admission, $15 for youth 12 and under and seniors.
Melissa, a Bush Mango Youth Project student (Photo: Lisa Barker)
At 7 p.m., Saturday, April 21st, Bush Mango will hold its second annual “Beat the Drum” Friend-Raiser, a fund-raising event to benefit Bush Mango’s Youth Project. Evening highlights include short, dynamic performances by Bush Mango’s Youth Project students and by Bush Mango’s performing company. In addition, there will be a gallery exhibition featuring photos of the Youth Project, a silent auction and bountiful food and bountiful food and drinks.
Bush Mango’s Youth Project teaches West African drum and dance to Rochester city youth and enhances the quality of their lives at the same time. The program provides a place where ethnically diverse young people from two to 18 years old can learn and thrive. Ninety-eight percent rely on scholarships to participate in the Youth Project.
“Through Youth Project’s drumming and dancing, students learn essential life skills: self-motivation, confidence, teamwork, discipline, and so much more,” said Colleen Hendrick, Bush Mango’s Artistic and Executive Director. “The program works, too: more than 90 percent of participants move up to the next grade in school or on to graduation from high school. Community support is vital to continuation of this important program.”
Tickets for the fund-raiser are $100 per person. Each “Beat the Drum” ticket includes one free ticket to either the Friday, April 13th or Saturday, April 14th Wongai! performance. If a Beat the Drum ticket is purchased after the Wongei performance, a ticket to Bush Mango’s December holiday performance will be provided.
For more information, visit www.bushmango.org or call 585-235-3960.
