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Cornbread and Tortillas to perform Nov. 1

The performance collective, Cornbread and Tortillas, will perform at Morehead State on Friday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Button Drill Room.  

Cornbread and Tortillas is a performance group of Appalachian and Latinx musicians, dancers and storytellers who seek to celebrate both the traditional culture of Kentucky and the cultures of Latinx immigrants who have arrived more recently in the state. Dr. Joy Gritton, professor of art, helped organize the event as an extension of a yearly project in her World Arts class.  

“We had previously coupled the event with a music performance to great success, so when the Hinkle Humanities grant allowed us to think about inviting a group that would enhance all of these efforts, we were very excited about the possibilities that Cornbread & Tortillas afforded,” she said. “I hope people will gain an appreciation for the richness of folk traditions in Latin America and at home here in Kentucky, and empathy and compassion for the members of our community who are overcoming great odds to join the American family and who are willing and eager to share their knowledge, skills, talents and creativity with us individually and as a nation.”  

Gritton added the audience will experience the music and dance of not only Appalachia but Central and South America as well.  

“Those attending the performance will see and hear instruments such as the banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, and mandolin, but also the charango, zampoñas, quenas (Andean flutes), cajón (a percussion instrument from Peru), and congas,” she said. “They will hear traditional songs and stories from Mexico, Kentucky, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala performed in English and Spanish, and will be able to see and compare flatfoot dancing from the mountains of Appalachia and several styles of Ballet Folklórico from Mexico.”  

Before the performance, the World Arts class will hold its annual Day of the Dead event from 5 to 6 p.m. in room 325 of the Adron Doran University Center, featuring traditional arts, altars and food. Also, and there will be a dance sponsored by the Latino Student Union immediately following the performance. All events are free and open to the public.  

These events are provided by support from the Buckner and Sally S. Hinkle Endowment for Humanities.  

For more information on Cornbread and Tortillas, visit www.cornbreadandtortillas.com.   

For information about programs in MSU’s Department of Art and Design, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/art, email arde@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2766.