Alfred Baker & West Indian Folk Dancing Company and IU African-American Dance Co. to Perform February 5, 2015

rot1Indiana University Northwest’s African American Studies and Department of Minority Studies in partnership with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, invites the campus and community to celebrate Black History Month.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, IU Northwest welcomes Mr. Alfred Baker and the West Indian Folk Dancing Company and Indiana University’s African-American Dance Company to its Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium stage, located in the Savannah Center.

The free Black History Month anniversary event will celebrate AfriCaribbean heritage and culture with colorful garments, lively hand-drumming, traditional and contemporary music, and electrifying dance ensembles.

The event holds special significance for IU Northwest which is celebrating 45 years of African American Studies, making it one of the first such programs in the U.S. Attendees will learn more about the contributions of important figures in Black History, including Indiana professors and performing artists who contributed to the Civil Rights movement to make Black studies and African/African Diasporic traditions a valued part of the Indiana University multi-campus system.

Lead teaching artists including the founder and members of the IU African American Dance Company, legendary Jamaican choreographer and musician Mr. Alfred Baker, and IU Northwest alumnus Vickie Casanova will speak to students in select classes throughout the day preceding the concert.

The event is co-sponsored by the IU Northwest Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, the Department of Minority Studies and the Black Student Union in partnership with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.

For more information, please contact Dorothy Mokry, Secretary, Department of Minority Studies, at (219) 980-6781 or dmokry@iun.edu.

For information about parking at IU Northwest, including a practice for issuing temporary visitors’ permits, please visit http://www.iun.edu/parking/.

About Indiana University Northwest
As one of seven Indiana University campuses, IU Northwest leads the region as the premier, urban campus dedicated to serving the needs of more than 6,000 students from the state’s most diverse and industrialized region. Committed to helping its local Northwest Indiana communities thrive, IU Northwest is best-known for providing a personal, quality and affordable education close to home. IU Northwest positions its students to be leaders with more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional degree options available from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education. The campus is also host to IU School of Medicine-Northwest, which actively involves students in research and local healthcare needs through its four-year medical doctorate program. For more information, please visit www.iun.edu.