A special event celebrating Muslim cultures through dance, music, visual art and poetry, will be held at Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg this Saturday evening. It's the culmination of a years-long project to create cross cultural understanding.
Salaam is an Arabic greeting, a nod or a tip of the hat, so to speak. And it's also the name of this project, aimed at opening doors to Muslim culture.
"So, it really is about engaging in this national conversation and bringing that conversation to Blacksburg for the benefits of our students and our community and to find all of the different ways that people could understand one another better."
Executive Director of the Moss Arts Center, Ruth Waalkes launched the idea to explore ways to build cultural bridges 6 years ago and there have been classes, exhibitions, performances and community outreach ever since.
For the past year, Syrian-American hip-hop artist Offendum, Egyptian musician and DJ, Karim Nagi, and mixed-media visual artist, Saba Taj, have worked with Virginia Tech students and community members to create this original production. They worked with the Itraab Ensemble, an Arabic music group which has been going at Moss Arts Center since 2014. Its members include students, faculty and community members.
The Salaam performance is free and open to the public no tickets are required.
Itraab Ensemble will hold another concert this spring - Sunday, April 29th at 5pm in Theatre 101, Henderson Hall on the Virginia Tech Campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Exploring Muslim Cultures Performance. Saturday, March 17, 2018, 8 PM At the Moss Arts Center, 190 Alumni Mall, Blacksburg, VA 24061. In the Street and Davis Performance Hall's Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre Free, no tickets required.
