African American Dance Company offers workshop, show this weekend

The 10th annual African American Dance Workshop will be held Friday and Saturday at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave.\nThe purpose of the event is to expose students and the Bloomington community to African-American and African Diaspora dance styles and movements, according to a news release for the event. \nSponsored in part by the African American Dance Company and the IU African American and African Diaspora Studies program, the two-day workshop will feature guest artists, keynote speeches and panel discussions.\nClasses in modern, jazz, Afro-Cuban, African and salsa will be available to workshop participants. The featured guest teachers include Jose Rivera, a graduate of the Julliard School and a founding member of the Atlanta-based Ballethnic Dance Company, and Elena Anderson, an expert in Horton modern technique and a founding member of Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre in Chicago. \nReynaldo Gonzalez, a principle dancer for the prominent Cuban group Afro-Cuba de Matanza, and Frances Nii Yartey, artistic director of the Noyam Contemporary African Dance Ensemble, will also teach classes.\nOther events include a choreographic workshop on both days and a panel discussion, “The Black Dance Experience: Challenges in the 21st Century,” at 7 p.m. Friday night in Room A201 of the Neal-Marshall center. A dance showcase at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night at the Wilkie Auditorium will conclude the workshop.\nThese events are free and open to the public.\nTo participate, dancers need to download registration forms from the African American Dance Company’s Web site at www.indiana.edu/~aaai/ADC.htm. The full registration fee for both days is $90 for adults and $80 for youths. Saturday registration, which includes three classes, is $55 for adults and $50 for youths. Single classes are $20.