Poet, Dance Troupe to Perform at Martin Luther King Jr. Event

World-renowned poet and activist Nikki Giovanni and Rainbow Dance Theatre are the featured performers at Willamette University’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

The event is at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 in Smith Auditorium. Tickets are $5, with a limit of four per person, and are available beginning at 9 a.m. Jan. 21 at the University Center Information Desk. The theme of the event is “Truth is on its Way.”

Giovanni is a widely read American poet, commentator, activist and educator who has authored some 30 books for both adults and children. She prides herself on being “a black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English,” and she is known for her outspokenness and long-time commitment to the fight for civil rights and equality. She is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech.

Rainbow Dance Theatre gets its name from its roots in Hawaii, the “land of rainbows,” as well as from the ethnic diversity of its company members and the diverse cultural influences in its choreography. The company’s virtuosic style fuses West African dance, Haitian dance, hip-hop, martial arts and American modern dance with computer animation and aerial choreography.

For more information, call the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (503) 370-6265 or go to www.willamette.edu/go/mlk.