The Saakumu Dance Troupe from Ghana, Africa came to Bloomington, Indiana this weekend. Saturday, March 4th the performed a live performance at The Player’s Pub. It began a little after two in the afternoon and lasted for around an hour and a half. Before the performance begun, the environment was relaxed and rather non-energetic. The design of the event space was somewhat of a Mardi Gras theme. There were beads, masks, and purple, green, and gold painted objects scattered on the walls. The tables were arranged in such a way that they all allowed the audience to face the stage. There were many things on and around the stage that were not used and seemed to have gotten in the way of the performers and musicians. For example, on the left side …show more content…
For instance, when I looked around to observe the audience while the performance was going on I didn’t see any bored faces or people looking around implying that they were uninterested. I saw engaged faces, people bobbing their heads along with the music, and I heard clapping and cheering after and sometimes during performances. I even saw a couple a children covering their ears due to the loud dynamics of the performance. One thing I did notice is that everyone sat during the entire performance until one song. This song Bernard Woma invited members of the audience to come dance with them. This is when almost half of the audience got out of their seats to join the Troupe on stage. Another example of how the Troupe interacted with the viewers is when one of the men dancing came and put a hat he used as a prop, on the man sitting in front of me. As far as rules regarding audience and performer interaction, I don’t feel there were any. The main reason being, Bernard Woma mentioned multiple times throughout the performance that it is welcome for people to come up and dance with them. In conclusion, this performance from the Saakumu Dance Troupe was energetic and interactive. Therefore, there was audience involvement in the event. The music that was played involved a variety of instruments and dances. It allowed for both the performers and the audiences enjoyment by giving Bloomington residents a touch of a culture that most have never seen before through a musical