JANUARY 21, 2010 ISSUE
I Have a Dream Week Continues Through Sunday
Flutist Akal Dev Sharonne will perform with poetry reciter Adrian Vyner-Brooks, sitarist Todd Bush and sacred dancer Mekare in “Dances with Rumi” as part of I Have a Dream Week.The mayors of Boone and Blowing Rock, ASU Chancellor Ken Peacock, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce have proclaimed January 15 through this Sunday, January 24, to be I Have a Dream Week, a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision and lifetime of service to humanity.
Following is a summary of events taking place throughout the remainder of I Have a Dream Week.
On Saturday, January 23, WATA-AM 1450 and WXIT-AM 1200 will air the “I Have a Dream Special” by the Young World Radio Show at noon. The show is a one-hour children’s radio tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Also on Saturday, Dances of Universal Peace Dedicated to the Dream will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Boone at 7:30 p.m. A $5 donation is requested. The public is invited to this participatory experience of body prayer, and the event will also preview a performance of Dances with Rumi happening on Sunday. The evening will highlight a recording of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. No dance experience is necessary.
At 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 24, join the Mennonite Brethren Church on Church Street in Boone for “A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
On Sunday, January 24, at 4:00 p.m., four performers will collaborate to present “Dances with Rumi,” the poetry of Rumi to the accompaniment of flute, sitar, percussion and dance.
Eight hundred years after the passing of Jelalludin Rumi, a mystical Persian poet, his inspired words of divine love are the most widely read poetry in America today, according to a press release.
Originally from England, Adrian Vyner-Brooks came to the U.S. in 1980 and settled in North Carolina in 1995. In 2007 he started reciting the poetry of Rumi in performance. He has recorded a CD of Rumi’s poetry with musical accompaniment.
Akal Dev Sharonne has been performing in the High Country since moving here in 1988, following three years in North Carolina’s prestigious Visiting Artist Program. She has been performing Rumi since 1995, appearing at the Joyce Soho Theater in New York City, ASU and many other venues on the east coast.
Local photographer and musician Todd Bush has played sitar since childhood and studied classical Indian music and sitar with international performing artist Hasu Patel.
Mekare of Winston-Salem is a sacred dancer and body therapist. She has performed sacred dance throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Mekare performed in an offering of the Tara Mandala Dance for the Dalai Lama. She has been a deep lover of Rumi since she was a young girl.
The performance will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Boone, on Councill Street, directly behind Earth Fare. A donation of $5 to $10 is requested to cover production costs, compensation to St. Luke’s and performers’ honoraria. Seating is limited, and reservations are strongly recommended. To reserve your space, call Akal Dev Sharonne at 828-264-1384.
Donations of any amount will be collected at Dances of Universal Peace and Dances with Rumi to provide supplies to the people of Haiti.
In addition, poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni will be the keynote speaker at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration at Farthing Auditorium on the ASU campus on Thursday, January 28, at 7:00 p.m.
For more information about the I Have a Dream Task Force, call 828-264-5620.
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