The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center hosted a Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration on Tuesday. The African American Dance Company performed to mark the event, which is the center’s fourth time hosting the celebration.
Kwanzaa, created in 1996 by Maulana Ron Karenga, runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1. The celebration focuses on themes such as reflection on the significance of the number 50, honoring African American and Pan-African cultures and celebrating family and community.
The celebration kicked off at 6 p.m. with an opening address from Stafford C. Berry, Jr., director of the African American Dance Company. He explained that Kwanzaa emphasizes values that guide how people should live. Berry stressed the importance of community engagement and solidarity, noting these values are ones everyone can learn from.
“Dance is a part of Black culture,” Berry said. “If there is ever an event that celebrates Black culture, one can expect that dance will be a part of it in some kind of way either directly programmed or organically it will happen.”
The celebration included different dance performances choreographed by students in the dance company. The first dance, titled “Lines,” was followed by “Call Back,” “Cobble Sounds,” “It Ends With Me” and “Get it Girl.”
In addition to learning some of the chants spoken during the celebration, they also learned about the history of Chuck Davis, an internationally recognized figure in African dance. Davis choreographed some of the first Kwanzaa celebrations in the United States.
Iris Rosa, who served from 1974 to 2017 as the original director of the African American Dance Company, attended the event and expressed her appreciation for the students continuing the program she helped establish.
As the event continued, the audience was introduced to the symbols typically displayed during Kwanzaa. A Kwanzaa sign accompanied by seven candles, baskets, fruits and vegetables sat on a table. The seven candles, each representing one of the principles of Kwanzaa, are lit over the course of the holiday. The fruits and vegetables represent labor and work. The Black liberation flag and the Unity Cup, which represents unity, were highlighted.
“These symbols represent the ways that we can think about our existence, being fed, resources that we have for community building and sustainability,” Berry said.
The ceremony concluded with a final dance and an acknowledgement of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and the African American Arts Institute student organizations, followed by the lighting of the seven Kwanzaa candles.
“The way that we incorporate the ideas of Kwanzaa into our performances is by remembering the principles that can guide you every day and all that you do,” Berry said.
