Expressions of Kings Legacy Week Continues with Dance and Poetry Jam

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from The Northstar Center

La Bruja (left) Black Ice

The weeklong celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. continues with Bush Mango Drum and Dance at 5 p.m. Jan. 28 in the Student Alumni Union at Rochester Institute of Technology. The local ensemble performs traditional music, dance and song from Guinea, West Africa.

Following Bush Mango is the RIT African Percussion Ensemble at 6 p.m. Directed by RIT professor Carl Atkins, the group presents Agbekor, an ancient West African dance characterized by multiple percussion instruments.

Closing the weeklong celebration are two national performers from HBO’s Def Poetry series, Black Ice and La Bruja. They will perform at 7-9 p.m. on Jan. 29 in the Student Alumni Union. Their Poetry Jam Session: My Truism, My Words is free and open to the public.

Lamar Manson, also known as Black Ice, uses hip-hop as the basis for his unique poetry style that covers topics from race to today’s social issues. He will be joined by Caridad De La Luz, La Bruja, as she is known on stage. She also uses hip-hop as a means of expressing her poetry. She is the creator of the “How can I change the World?” writing workshop and founder of Latinas4Life, two community organizations that support positive change for the hip-hop generation.

The Expressions of Kings Legacy is sponsored by the President’s Commission on Pluralism and Inclusion in partnership with the Center for Campus Life, Study Abroad and AALANA Collegiate Association.