“Dancing in the Streets” for Ernestina-Morrissey.

Join us for "Dancing in the Streets"

There will be “Dancing in the Streets” as we celebrate the 31st anniversary of Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey’s return and gift from Cape Verde to the United States with a traditional Cape Verdean street dance procession through Downtown to the Cape Verdean-American Veterans for a party continuing after AHA!

Tony Cruz, New Bedford performer and cultural organizer, has arranged an evening of traditional and contemporary Cape Verdean music and dance.  Starting at 6:00 PM at the Whaling Museum plaza, the accordion and percussion trio TreeOfU will show how musicians informally play together in plazas and street corners in Cape Verde.  The women of CV Dancers will join in the rhythm, dancing in the streets.  According to event organizer Buddy Andrade, when packets like Ernestina arrived in New Bedford and Providence the community would go down to meet them and the party would start with a festive procession from the dock to the Cape Verdean clubs.

Sodat, a street drumming group from New Bedford, will introduce this Cape Verdean tradition and starting at 6:45 will lead a street procession through Downtown to the Verdean VETS at 561 Purchase Street arriving around 8:00 PM.  There the party will continue until 10:00 PM with Cape Verdean dance music by the CV Friends, a band of professional musicians and storytelling by several elders of the Cape Verdean community.

SCHEDULE:

6:00 PM

TreeOfU, trio traditional CV music

CV Dancers

Sodat, CV street drumming group, approximately 12 people

6:45 or before

Procession departs WM plaza, William St. to N. Water to Hamilton to

N. Front to Union to Second to Elm to Acushnet to William to Purchase to the VETS

8:00 – 10:00 (or when procession arrives) storytelling by CV elders, CV Friends band playing CV and other dance music.

Viva Ernestina!

IN CASE OF RAIN the performances at the Whaling Museum will move inside to the theater, and the events at VETS will take place as scheduled.