Institute raises cultural awareness

This year marks the African American Arts Institute's 30th anniversary at IU. In the 1970s the Institute debuted as one of the first performing arts programs in the country. Now it has an office in the Neal-Marshal Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave. \nThe organization gives students a chance to explore the areas of performance and arts management. With the aid of the Institute's three ensembles -- the African American Dance Company directed by Iris Rosa, the African American Choral Ensemble directed by James Mumford, and the IU Soul Revue directed by Tyron Cooper -- students learn about African American music, dance and culture. \n"(The ensembles) give students a chance to connect with their own culture," said Charles E. Sykes, director of the Institute. "(African American culture) is an important part of American culture." \nThe ensembles have traveled to and performed in many American cities that have no African Americans in their communities. They each perform in concerts, festivals, ceremonies, workshops and lecture-demonstrations, and are designed to help reach goals stated in the mission statement. \n"We use art as a means of breaking down barriers," Sykes said. \nThe Institute also fosters a tightly knit community among its students, because its professors believe it is important to have a sense of belonging while in college. \n"They should take pride in the fact that Indiana University has a program as unique as the Institute," Sykes said. \nThe Institute's ensembles provide educational and unique experiences for their members but also a sense of familiarity that is so essential to college students. \n"Music and dance are powerful vehicles for the interaction, communication, and collaboration of these differences and the Institute serves as a valuable model for this," said Angela Scharfenberger, assistant to the director. \nThe AAAI has been a home to African American students as well as students of other cultural backgrounds, said Samillia R. Woods, a member of the Soul Revue. \n"As representatives on the Student Advisory Board, we came together to address the concerns of all students," Woods said. \nMany of the Institute's alumni, currently working in the entertainment world, have had prestigious careers. Two former visiting faculty members brought their outside achievements into their teaching. Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, visiting director of the Soul Revue during the 1997-98 academic year, is a well-known composer, creating music for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company as well as the film score for "A Warm December." Johnny Griffith, visiting director of the Soul Revue from 1998-99, is a keyboardist for Motown Records, playing on many Marvin Gaye records.\nSuch success stories have come from years of hard-fought progress.\nThe late 1960s were a time of change in the United States. In addition to the civil rights and women's rights movements, students all over the country were pushing for a different kind of change. They wanted new, more diverse course-work. Black students wanted to study African culture; Hispanic students wanted courses on Latino culture. Students wanted to be able to learn about their heritage, Sykes said.\nSeveral universities around the country began performing arts programs in the 1970s. IU was among them. At this time, getting credit for a course in performing arts was unheard of, Sykes said. \nIn 1971 Herman Hudson founded the Soul Revue. Hudson recruited Portia Maultsby from the University of Wisconsin, where she had directed a similar group. With the help of Hudson and Maultsby, this group developed from a single non-credit ensemble into the African American Arts Institute IU houses today. \nSykes said the Institute's programs give students opportunities to develop as performers while continuing their academic studies. Many students graduate and take jobs as performers, but others pursue other fields such as teaching, law and medicine.\nAnd though he said he is happy with the group's progress during the past 30 years, there is always room for improvement and development. He hopes the group will some day be recognized both nationally and internationally, and perhaps even begin to tour internationally.\n"I'm happy with the Institute, but not content," he said. "There is a big difference."\nAlongside its various impacts, the Institute alson provides a sense of family, and a way for members to express their emotions and relax from the stresses of other classes. \n"The AAAI has served as a much needed outlet for me," Woods said. "I love it!" \n-- Contact Staff Writer Claire Bletz at cbletz@indiana.edu.