African Drummers

Jason Bouchea brings a team of African drummers and dancers to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens on Saturday, December 26, for two performances in the Garden Pavilion. It's a double-bill day: one session at 11 AM and another at 2 PM, so you can pick the time that works best for you.

Bouchea is an ethnomusicologist and associated faculty member at The Ohio State University, and he's putting together a full ensemble of drummers and dancers for this one. The whole thing is staged in the spirit of the first day of Kwanzaa, and the focus is on Umoja, the holiday's first principle, which means unity. That's the theme the performance is built around—the drummers and dancers coming together to celebrate that idea.

It's billed as family fun and open to all ages, so it's the kind of thing you can bring kids to without worrying about whether they'll sit still. The two separate times—late morning and early afternoon—make it easy to fit into a Saturday, whether you're out for the day or just stopping by for a bit. Both performances happen in the Garden Pavilion, inside the Conservatory.

Admission is included with your general admission to the Conservatory, and there are no additional reservations required, so you just need your ticket to get in. The sessions run at 11 AM and 2 PM on Saturday, December 26, at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus.