Everything Nac

The Sampson Brothers, a Native American dance duo, will perform native dances for the Stephen F. Austin State University and Nacogdoches communities twice Wednesday, Nov. 16, first at noon in the plaza outside of the Baker Pattillo Student Center and again at 7 p.m. in the student center Grand Ballroom.

The event was created and will be hosted by the SFA Office of Multicultural Affairs to celebrate and acknowledge Native American tribes, their heritage and their history.

“The idea for the event came from the need to represent all racial and ethnic groups, as well as host an event that acknowledges and applauds the roots, culture, existence and contributions of the Native American people,” said Dr. Griselda Flores, OMA assistant director.

According to their website, the Sampson Brothers strive to promote cultural pride, unity and hope through setting a positive example through art, education and dance. They hope to give back to their tribe and the indigenous community as a whole by breaking stereotypes and creating opportunities for generations to come.

“Attendees should expect to be educated and entertained about aspects of the Native American culture, as well as participate in live dancing,” Flores said. “The purpose of the event is to remind others that Native Americans are still here. And because Nacogdoches is a city whose citizens share pride in the city’s history, this is a nice opportunity for the community and campus to embrace the native history of not only Nacogdoches but America.”

The Sampson Brothers’ performances are free to attend.

For more information, visit the OMA website at www.sfasu.edu/multicultural.

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces jazz bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform a concert of jazz masterpieces at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The Swingin’ Aces, directed by Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba and euphonium, will open the concert with several hits from The Count Basie Orchestra, including “Moten Swing” and “Switch in Time.” Other highlights will be performances of jazz classics “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday’s hit “God Bless the Child.”

The Swingin’ Axes, directed by Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone and jazz studies at SFA, will present a program of “jazz giants,” she said.

“Our program is about historically important jazz composers who were also leaders and performers in their own big bands. We will start in 1945 and progress through 65 years of big band sounds,” Scott said. “All of these pieces were recorded by their own big bands, too.”

The program will include Tommy Dorsey’s “Chloe,” “All My Yesterdays” from the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, and “Berlin Bei Nacht” by Oliver Nelson and his “Berlin Dreamband.”

“There are also two important modern composer-band leaders included: Gordon Goodwin’s ‘Hunting Wabbits’ by his Big Phat Band, and ‘Aurora’ by Patrick Williams and His Big Band,” Scott said.

This concert is a joint presentation of the College of Fine Arts and School of Music.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Students who participated in the 2015 and 2016 Barrio Writers workshops at Stephen F. Austin State University are hosting a reading of their published works at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, at the Nacogdoches High School Library, located at 4310 Appleby Sand Road.

“I am looking forward to hearing the participants read their original creative works,” said Dr. Heather Olson Beal, SFA associate professor of secondary education, who has coordinated the Barrio Writers program the past two summers.

This free event is open to the public, and light refreshments will be served.

“I am especially looking forward to each 2015 Barrio Writers participant receiving his or her two contributor copies of the anthology in which the participant’s work is published,” Beal added. “I can’t wait to get the books into their hands.”

Barrio Writers is a free, weeklong summer writing program held at SFA for students age 13 to 21. It is a collaboration between SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education and the Nacogdoches Independent School District.

University faculty and staff members serve as writing advisers leading the workshop in which participants read books, poems and song lyrics before discussing them as a group and free writing.

“The program benefits include having opportunities to read creative works from writers of color, improving writing skills, interacting with engaged youth from our area and having one or more of the written pieces published in an anthology that includes writing from all the Barrio Writers chapters across the nation,” Beal said.

For more information, contact sfabarriowriters@gmail.com.