Celtic & Flamenco music and dance headline
Pangaea on April 6

KINGSTON, R.I. -- March 21, 2000 -- Two different styles of music originating from opposite spots of the world will be celebrated at the University of Rhode Island on Thursday, April 6 at 8 p.m.

The evening is part of a year-long series called Pangaea, a musical roots festival sponsored by URI's Department of Housing and Residential Life. The event, free and open to the public, will be held in URI's Edwards Auditorium.

Lenahan, America's fist Celtic folk-rock band, combines the beauty and tradition of Celtic Music with the dynamic energy of American rock and blues. The band has appeared in the U.S., Canada, and 25 foreign countries. In addition, its champion Irish step dancers continue enchant audiences everywhere. The four members of Lenahan perform on more than a dozen instruments in true Irish tradition, including bagpipes, tin whistle, fiddle, bodhran, and guitars. The band's leader is Tom Lenahan who played drums with the legendary Cab Caloway. His music is featured in the new Irish motion picture Beyond the Pale, which premiered at the Galway International Film Festival. Lenahan was awarded his third ASCAP Songwriter Award in 1999.

El Arte Flamenco's lead dancer and choreographer is Faustino Rios. A native of Mexico, Rios' father, flamenco guitarist Roberto Rios, introduced to the music to him as a child. Rios has performed with some of the finest international performers of Spanish dance, including Jose Greco and Jose Greco II, Maria Benitez, and Charo. He has appeared with various American opera companies and on national TV and in nationally distributed videos. His appearance this winter with the Cambridge production of the Christmas Revels marked his return to the U.S., following a four-year tour performing with Charo's Flamenco Review.

Co-sponsors of Pangaea include the President's Office, The Office of Campus Life, and the Student Entertainment Committee. For more information, contact URI's Residential Education Office at 874-5162.

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For More Information: Jan Sawyer, 874-2116