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Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Rozsa Center to present Movement of Joy, Sinkane, Vieux Farka Touré this weekend, March 24-26

Movement of Joy is a virtual event in which you can participate on Thursday, March 24, and / or Saturday, March 26. (Image courtesy Rozsa Center)

HOUGHTON -- The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan Tech will present both virtual and live guest performances this weekend -- Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 24, 25 and 26.

Two free Digital Movement of Joy workshops with Naila Ansari -- a native of Buffalo, New York, who is an award-winning choreographer, director, and performing artist -- will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 24, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 26.

The Movement of Joy is an ongoing practice aimed to amass joy testimonials that meditate on remembering and understanding the movement histories that live in our physical bodies through performance, film, writing, archiving, and oral traditions. Each Movement of Joy workshop curates and facilitates conversations for social change through the art and research of joy developed by founder Naila Ansari.

Through works created with art partner Marquis "Ten Thousand" Burton and Movement of Joy artists, these performers work as a collective to make visible the joy of people in the community. (No movement, dance or art experience is necessary to participate.) Go to the Rozsa Center Events page to register for this free online event on either Thursday or Saturday or both.

Sinkane, Sudanese-American musician. (Photo courtesy Rozsa Center)

The Rozsa Center will welcome Sudanese-American musican Sinkane for a performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25. Sinkane manages to create, "funky, lighter-than-air global pop," as Indy Week describes it, by blending krautrock, prog rock, electronica, free jazz and funk rock with Sudanese pop. You’ll like Sinkane if you like psychedelic rock, funk, global pop, Poolside, Neil Frances, Caribou, or Django Django.

Reflecting on Sinkane’s latest album, Dépaysé, lead singer Ahmed Gallab says, "I began to think about how I could use my music in a constructive way -- not only to help myself but to help others who feel frustrated and powerless."

Listen to Sinkane’s latest album, Dépaysé, on Spotify

Tickets for this performance are $20 Adult, $10 Youth, included with Experience Tech fee. Masks strongly recommended. Learn about the updated Rozsa COVID-19 Policies. For tickets click here.

Click here for Live Streaming information.

Vieux Farka Touré, the "Hendrix of the Sahara." (Photo courtesy Rozsa Center)

Vieux Farka Touré, the "Hendrix of the Sahara," will perform at the Rozsa at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.

You’ll like Vieux Farka Touré if you like: Exceptional guitar work, Ali Farka Touré, jazz, Boubacar Traoré.

The son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré, Vieux Farka Touré is now considered, as RnR Magazine says, "One of the world's greatest guitarists." With influences of rock, Latin music, jazz, and other African influences, Vieux has a reputation as one of the world’s most talented and innovative musicians.

"Toure’s guitar playing is, frankly, incredible … The man is a master showman but he leaves it to his music to produce the fireworks … There is no-one who can approach his playing today and he is constantly setting new standards for what can be achieved with a guitar…" - Music-News

Listen to Vieux on Spotify.

As a passionate champion for the people of Mali and The Sahel, Vieux founded the charity Amahrec Sahel in 2012. As part of Amahrec Sahel’s mission to support humanitarian reconstruction and culture, the charity has provided school supplies for children, supported an orphanage in Bamako, and provided musical instruments for young musicians in Mali. Vieux is also the director of The Ali Farka Touré Foundation, an international organization dedicated to the preservation of Ali’s legacy and the cultural growth of Mali.

Tickets are $20 Adult, $10 Youth, Included with Experience Tech fee. Masks strongly recommended. Learn about the updated Rozsa COVID-19 Policies. For tickets click here.