Artistic Director

Get ready to feel the heat, listen to the beat, and move your feet. Created especially for families, participants in this workshop will begin with a print-making workshop that explores the meaning and significance of Adinkra symbols in West African culture, then learn about and experience traditional West African Dance and contemporary AfroBeat dance moves.

EPSG:4326

For Families Moving to the Beat: West African Dance and Visual Art

Ypsilanti Freighthouse

Originating from the Malinke people of West Africa, Moribayassa is a traditional practice in which participants are invited to relieve their burdens through movement and music. The practice uses dance and live drumming as a way to offer thanks for overcoming obstacles or adversities within the context of community support. Participants will be invited to write, sing, and dance as a healing modality for their struggles.

West African Dance at the Freighthouse

Cannons roar. Drums thunder. For Opening Weekend, Michael Francis is not holding back – setting the tone for a season of bold, high-voltage music. We’re off and running with Rossini’s galloping William Tell Overture. Take a moment to catch your breath with the quiet intensity of Christopher Theofanidis’ The Gift, featuring tenor Anthony Dean Griffey. Then, hold on tight for a full blast of musical firepower as Beethoven’s Wellington’s Victory meets Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, featuring the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay like you’ve never heard them before. A concert of pure exhilaration from start to finish.

Artistic Director

Heather Mitchell

Events

Upcoming events

2 - 4 Oct, 2026

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture · Florida Orchestra

Past events

Sep 30, 2023

For Families Moving to the Beat: West African Dance and Visual Art · University Musical Society

Sep 30, 2023

West African Dance at the Freighthouse · University Musical Society

About

Heather Mitchell hasn't added a bio