'Ekuejo' performs dance show

In honor of Black History Month, Ekuejo, a local African American culture, drum and dance company, performed their show African Rhythms for University students on Wednesday. The group, led by Oriyomi Isha Imani and consisting of three percussionists and three dancers, opened up with a dance known as Fanga, which honors the four elements of the universe. They also performed the Lamba, which depicts the cycles of life. In between the dances, Imani talked about African culture and attempted to refute some commonly held stereotypes about Africa. "We're here to let you know that Africa is very much a part of you," she said. "African American History is not just a month -- it's 365 days a year," she added later. Following the cultural dances, group drummers described their instruments to the audience. The percussionists then took turns demonstrating their individual instruments, which included the djembe, conga and agogo bells. The group also taught the audience the Nigerian game kye kye kole. The performers did the Manjani, a "challenge" dance. The purpose of such a dance is to show your joy and appreciation of life and all it has to offer, Imani said. By the end of the song, almost the entire audience had joined the dancers on the stage. The show was organized by the Student National Medical Association. Committee members said they are pleased with the way it turned out. "We hope to sponsor more events like this," said first year medical student and co-chairperson of SNMA David Hurtado. This is the first time the medical school has done something for Black History Month, said second year medical student Niko Louis. "It's great that we finally got to do something, but it's kind of sad that it took so long for them to acknowledge Black History Month," remarked Louis, SNMA co-chairperson. Many audience members agreed that the show was excellent. "In the spirit of Black History Month, I thought it was very appropriate," said College freshman Canra Wooten. "The dancers were great -- there should be more performances like this." "I'm a first year medical student and seeing what was shown today makes me proud to be apart of this medical school," said Kathy Tsapos. "I hope it becomes a tradition."

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