Briefly Noted

Pitt’s Shona Sharif African Dance and Drum Ensemble Presents Nativity: A Christmas Gift

The Shona Sharif African Dance and Drum Ensemble, part of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Africana Studies, will present its musical production of Nativity: A Christmas Gift on weekends from Dec. 4 through Dec. 19 in the Seventh-Floor Auditorium of Alumni Hall.

Inspired by Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, the show explores the Christmas season through traditional West African dance and 20th-century gospel music.

Nativity: A Christmas Gift will be performed at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. Sundays. There will be one school matinee at 10 a.m. Dec. 10. Tickets are $20 general admission and $10 for senior citizens, students, and children. They can be purchased at the door or reserved by calling 412-648-2276.

—By Sharon S. Blake

Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House to Be Held Dec. 5

The University of Pittsburgh’s 27 Nationality Rooms committees will host their annual open house from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 5. The rooms, located on the Cathedral of Learning’s first and third floors, will be decorated in holiday splendor, displaying holiday customs from around the world. The rooms remain decorated until Jan. 14, and both taped and guided tours are available. On Saturdays—Dec. 4, 11, and 18—taped tours will be available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. On Sundays—Dec. 12 and 19—taped tours will be available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Guided tours will be offered Dec. 27-31 beginning at 10:30 a.m., and the last tour will be dispatched at 2:30 p.m. Tours commence every half hour. Taped tours are unavailable during these times.

Tickets can be purchased at the Gift Shop on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning; reservations are not accepted. Admission is $3 for those 19 and older, and $1 for youths ages 8-18. Children under 8 are free.

For more information, visit www.pitt.edu/~natrooms or call 412-624-6000.

—By Jessica Myers