A.C. Library International Night Series concludes fifth season
Music and dance from around the globe was once again featured on the Atlantic City Boardwalk this summer as part of the Fifth annual Atlantic City Library International Night Series. Watch videos from some of this year's performances. The weekly series, co-sponsored by the library and City of Atlantic City and funded in part by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, featured 90-minute live performances at Kennedy Plaza, located on the Boardwalk between Mississippi and Georgia avenues.
Below is this year's schedule:
• Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 11 – Based in Camden, Universal African Dance and Drum delivers one electrifying performance after another, dazzling spectators with performances that are acrobatic, energetic and educational. The group, which has been featured throughout the country at many prestigious events, will perform ancestral dancing, intensified drumming and stilt walking.
• Dancing Crane at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 – Dancing Crane will present the music and dance of the country of Georgia, located in the Caucasus region (at the border of Europe and Asia between the Black and Caspian seas). Georgian dance is powerful yet elegant, and it rivals classic ballet in its demanding and refined technique. Dancing Crane will also play native music on traditional folk instruments.
• Niyaz at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 – Since forming in 2005, Niyaz, which means “yearning” in Persian and Urdu, has toured the world, including shows throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Niyaz blends medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from Iran, the Indian sub-continent, Turkey, rich acoustic instrumentation, with modern electronics. The Huffington Post declared the band to be “an evolutionary force in contemporary Middle Eastern music.”
• Magdaliz and her Latin Ensemble Crisol at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 – Crisol, which is Spanish for melting pot, is an ensemble that has been performing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York since 1997. This group is dedicated to the interpretation of a variety of folk and traditional music genres from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and other parts of Latin America.
• Everybody Loves Italian at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8 – Everybody Loves Italian says its goal is to celebrate the decent, wonderful and generous personalities of the Italians and their descendents. Strength of character enveloped in love and affection is the positive message it wishes to convey. The group accomplishes that through classically presented song, dance and warmly humorous stories.
• The Barley Boys at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15 – The Barley Boys play original, traditional and contemporary Irish music. The group’s powerful drums, melodic bass, high-energy fiddle and innovative guitars join together to form an exciting and entertaining sound. The show will begin after the Atlantic City Salutes America's Armed Forces Parade.
• Taiko Masala at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22 – By combining the training and discipline of Japanese martial arts with the precision and power of complex drumming, Taiko Masala brings visually stunning and breathless excitement to its performances. The group’s arsenal of instruments, all handmade by the ensemble, ranges from eight-inch hand-held drums to five-foot barrel drums, and includes the giant 250-pound O-daiko.
• Korean Traditional Marching Band at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29 – Enjoy a meditative performance featuring the changgo, the traditional Korean hour-glass drum, adapted for p’ungnyu, the classical ensemble music of Korean nobility. P’ungnyu also refers to a state of human leisure, a removal from the mundane and elevation to a harmonious state appreciative of poetry, music and companionship.
• Hawaiian Luau Entertainment at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5 – Hawaiian Luau Entertainment presents a show of contrasts. One minute hula girls are gracefully dancing to slow and relaxing Polynesian music, and the next the group turns up the heat and energy, pounding away on the drums as the male members perform a warrior dance or sensational fire dancing exhibition.
For more information about the Atlantic City Library International Night Series, please call (609) 345-2269.
Below is this year's schedule:
• Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 11 – Based in Camden, Universal African Dance and Drum delivers one electrifying performance after another, dazzling spectators with performances that are acrobatic, energetic and educational. The group, which has been featured throughout the country at many prestigious events, will perform ancestral dancing, intensified drumming and stilt walking.
• Dancing Crane at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 – Dancing Crane will present the music and dance of the country of Georgia, located in the Caucasus region (at the border of Europe and Asia between the Black and Caspian seas). Georgian dance is powerful yet elegant, and it rivals classic ballet in its demanding and refined technique. Dancing Crane will also play native music on traditional folk instruments.
• Niyaz at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 25 – Since forming in 2005, Niyaz, which means “yearning” in Persian and Urdu, has toured the world, including shows throughout North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Niyaz blends medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from Iran, the Indian sub-continent, Turkey, rich acoustic instrumentation, with modern electronics. The Huffington Post declared the band to be “an evolutionary force in contemporary Middle Eastern music.”
• Magdaliz and her Latin Ensemble Crisol at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1 – Crisol, which is Spanish for melting pot, is an ensemble that has been performing in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York since 1997. This group is dedicated to the interpretation of a variety of folk and traditional music genres from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and other parts of Latin America.
• Everybody Loves Italian at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8 – Everybody Loves Italian says its goal is to celebrate the decent, wonderful and generous personalities of the Italians and their descendents. Strength of character enveloped in love and affection is the positive message it wishes to convey. The group accomplishes that through classically presented song, dance and warmly humorous stories.
• The Barley Boys at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15 – The Barley Boys play original, traditional and contemporary Irish music. The group’s powerful drums, melodic bass, high-energy fiddle and innovative guitars join together to form an exciting and entertaining sound. The show will begin after the Atlantic City Salutes America's Armed Forces Parade.
• Taiko Masala at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22 – By combining the training and discipline of Japanese martial arts with the precision and power of complex drumming, Taiko Masala brings visually stunning and breathless excitement to its performances. The group’s arsenal of instruments, all handmade by the ensemble, ranges from eight-inch hand-held drums to five-foot barrel drums, and includes the giant 250-pound O-daiko.
• Korean Traditional Marching Band at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29 – Enjoy a meditative performance featuring the changgo, the traditional Korean hour-glass drum, adapted for p’ungnyu, the classical ensemble music of Korean nobility. P’ungnyu also refers to a state of human leisure, a removal from the mundane and elevation to a harmonious state appreciative of poetry, music and companionship.
• Hawaiian Luau Entertainment at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5 – Hawaiian Luau Entertainment presents a show of contrasts. One minute hula girls are gracefully dancing to slow and relaxing Polynesian music, and the next the group turns up the heat and energy, pounding away on the drums as the male members perform a warrior dance or sensational fire dancing exhibition.
For more information about the Atlantic City Library International Night Series, please call (609) 345-2269.