By Mike Greife,
February 1, 2018
WARRENSBURG, MO – The University of Central Missouri Department of Music will host
a celebration of traditional Ghanaian music and dance at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 in
Hart Recital Hall.
The performance will be the culmination of a three-day residency by Nani Agbeli, one
of the leading Ghanaian dancers of his generation. Agbeli will rehearse with UCM student
percussionists, dancers, and singers. He also will lead a drumming and dance workshop
with students at Warrensburg High School. The final performance will feature Agbeli
with student and faculty performers.
The performance is free and open to the public.
Agbeli was born into a family of prominent dancers and drummers in Ghana’s Volta region.
For nine years he served as the lead drum and dance instructor at the Dagbe Cultural
Center, a school that trains domestic and international students in Ghanaian traditional
arts.
In the United States, Agbeli has taught Ghanaian drumming and dancing at several universities
and colleges, including Harvard University, Lawrence University, and the University
of Missouri. Currently, he is a professor of music at the California Institute of
the Arts.
Financial support for Agbeli’s residency is provided the Missouri Arts Council, a
state agency, and by the UCM Department of Music. For more information, contact Allison
Robbins, assistant professor of music, at asrobbins@ucmo.edu.
