Children raise global awareness of AIDS through dance, song

Peter Kasule, a willowy 22-year-old, can't seem to keep from moving his feet and clapping to the drumming and dancing that swirls and pulses around him as the young members of the Children of Uganda dance troupe move jubilantly across the stage.

Photo: L.A. Cicero

"We try and represent as much of Uganda as we can -- the rhythm, the culture, the drums. We hope that people can see the joy," said Kasule, who like the other 21 members of the troupe -- children aged 8 to 18 -- is an orphan. The troupe is currently on a national "Tour of Light" that will include a stop at Stanford on Friday evening. On Tuesday morning, the drummers and dancers held the rapt attention of a grade school audience at Keys School in Palo Alto, where the dance troupe performed excerpts from their concert.

In Uganda, where 300 people die each day of AIDS, 1.7 million children have lost one or more parents to AIDS, said Alexis Hefley, who is founder of the nonprofit Ugandan Children's Charity Foundation, which directly supports 700 orphans.

Hefley, formerly a banker in Texas, helped found the troupe after traveling to Uganda more than a decade ago and visiting an orphanage, where a nun was teaching the nearly destitute children to sing and dance. The dance troupe, under the artistic direction of Frank Katoola, has toured biannually since 1994 to raise global awareness about the AIDS epidemic; has appeared at the Kennedy Center and at the World Bank; and was named "Best Performers" at the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C.

During their 90-minute-long concert performance, the children play a variety of instruments, including handmade drums, harps and xylophones, and sing in Luganda, Swahili and English. Kasule weaves contemporary and traditional songs together with stories and coaxes audiences into clapping and moving along. "We want people to enjoy it," he said. "And we want them to say, 'Let's get together and make this a global issue.' "

The Children of Uganda will perform on Friday, March 19, at Memorial Auditorium. For tickets and more information, contact the Stanford Ticket Office at Tresidder Memorial Union. Call 650-725-ARTS (2787) or go online to http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.