North Central College concert closes month of peace
A month of peace converges on North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall Saturday with the "We Are One" multicultural celebration.
The Naperville-based ThinkGlobal Arts foundation began the third annual monthlong Celebration of Peace on Oct. 15 and it concludes Sunday, Nov. 15.
In that time, foundation members have used various free activities to urge community members to embrace four areas of peace: personal reflection, service, reconciliation and the environment.
Naperville's Celebration of Peace is part of a larger movement by communities around the world to create practical acts of peace.
"I think it's just a team effort of like minded-people," said Revati Natesan, founder and president of ThinkGlobal Arts Foundation.
Saturday's performance features music and dance styles from cultures around the world, including: Peruvian jazz, gamelan (Indonesian musical ensemble), Irish dance, a tribute to Michael Jackson, Mosaic Choir, Hawaiian dance, a demonstration of Maori poi ball (Polynesian twirling), Ghanaian arts, Peruvian dance, Disney drummers, circle dance and Native American peace drum.
The foundation partnered with numerous local groups in the past month, including the city of Naperville, Naperville Unit District 203, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and the Naperville Noon Lions Club.
The Celebration of Peace has included multiple activities.
Alex Counts, an expert in microfinance and founder of the Grameen Foundation, spoke last month at the Whole Foods Lifestyle Center, and 250 students from each of the local high schools heard Counts speak at Naperville Central.
Artist-in-residence Nani Agbeli spent two days each at Jefferson Junior High School and Granger Middle School teaching students to drum and to dance.
Additionally, Black Nature of the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars spoke at a film festival at North Central.
Last year's Celebration of Peace was instrumental in sending nearly 3,000 binders of new and gently used art supplies to children and Tanzania and Malawi.
The month of peace is a large undertaking for the foundation, said Natesan, but the outcome always seems more than worth it.
"It's worth it if we can have just one or two people we can make a difference on," she said.
For information about Saturday's performance or the monthlong Celebration of Peace, call (630) 697-4441 or visit thinkglobalarts.org.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"We are One"</p> <p class="News"><b>When: </b>7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville</p> <p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> Free</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 697-4441 or <a href="http://thinkglobalarts.com" target="new">thinkglobalarts.com</a></p>