Celebrate Native American heritage with an indigenous cultural music experience this Friday evening, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.

Dances With Ivory presents piano selections based on indigenous tribal melodies. The piano is used in unusual ways to achieve ethereal effects, such as strumming inside the body of the piano on the strings and using the pedals in creative ways to pick up the tonal vibrations of native flutes, singing, speaking, and playing the sound board for the drumbeat effects.

Dr. Lisa Cheryl Thomas was a Fulbright Scholar in Canada in 2017 at the University of Alberta and did her doctoral dissertation on native melodies that were collected by ethnographers around the turn of the 20th century. She is an enrolled citizen of Sovereign Cherokee Nation Tejas. Her native name is Danalasgisgv Unegvgola [DanceswithIvory].

The performance includes native storytelling to illustrate the significance of an oral tradition. Dr. Thomas performs in native regalia and uses multi-media to illustrate the cultural background of each song. She has performed this music in many theaters and concert halls in many countries. Her repertoire also includes bluegrass and patriotic American music by American composers. We hope you’ll join us for this uniquely beautiful and moving show.

Adult online tickets are available for $25 in advance, $30 on the day of the event. Youth tickets are available for $10. For tickets visit www.thewaldotheatre.org. Doors open at 6:30 pm.