For eight years, Wamidan, Wabash's world music performance and dance ensemble, has entertained crowds with an eclectic mix of music and dance traditions from around the world. At the spring 2008 performance, Wamidan shifted gears and performed a fictional story, "Friendship Between a Crocodile and a Monkey."
Click here and here to see photo albums from the concert. See photos from final rehearsal here.
The story, inspired by the wildlife and natural environment of East Africa, was adapted from Sister Sabina Stella Santana's book, Happy Ending Children's Stories. Sister Stella, along with Wabash junior Kyle Prifogle, co-directed the performance.
Wamidan is this year made up of Wabash students, faculty, and staff members, as well as students and faculty from DePauw University and members of the Crawfordsville and Greencastle communities. Senior Steve Hernandez served as president of the group this year, while music professor James Makubuya is the artistic director.
In the play, "We learn that friendship can develop even where it is least expected," writes Sister Stella. "The main characters — Ngwina, the crocodile, and Salila, the monkey — find that friendship is a two-way effort, a treasure that is governed by love, care, and concern from both parties."
Prifogle starred as Salila, while DePauw senior Ruth Nduta starred as Ngwina.
Wamidan also honored graduating members of the ensemble at its last performance of the academic year. Saluted were Wabash seniors Sean Foster, Steve Hernandez, Bernard Meyer, and Teye Morton; Crawfordsville High School seniors Caity Charles and Savanna Weliver; and DePauw senior Ruth Nduta.
The performance also featured a vignette featuring Wamidan newcomers Dioni Miles-Morillo, the second-grade daughter of history professor Steve Morillo, and economics professor Joyce Burnette.