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It’s festive. It’s family. It’s classic summer fun. UB on the Green is a celebration. It’s the University at Buffalo’s signature summer event. A colorful display of music, dance and artwork… presented on the South Campus lawn.
(Janet Lenichek) “I love it. It was just a ton of energy, a lot of fun and it’s great to see all the people out at the UB area here, the university district. And it’s a great idea.”
(Pres. Simpson on stage) “Part of the reason for this event is to showcase the university and part of the reason to do this is to make the point that UB is part of this community, part of this neighborhood.”
UB on the Green is a unique Buffalo event- a series of free open-air concerts with a diverse blend of performers.
(Ras Jomo Akono- Le Ballet Touba N’Dame) “Le Ballet Touba N’Dame fall is a group from West Africa. The music is centered around the stick drum, the djun djun and the kinkme.”
(Ras Jomo Akono) “The more excited the drummers get, the dancers have to respond because they’re walking on the road that we’re paving. “
(George Kunz, UB Alumnus) “And it’s just nice to come back with music that can relate to young and the old, or college and senior citizen. And I’m just happy to be here.
(Ron Davis- Lee Ron Zydeco) “People associate Zydeco with New Orleans. When actually it’s from the prairies of western Louisiana. It’s really cowboy music.”
The Main Street stage also features world class artists like Garth Fagan, choreographer for Broadway’s “The Lion King.”
(Garth Fagan) “I’m trained in modern dance, studied with the best and performed with the best, but I wanted to bring African and Caribbean dance into the fold.”
(Leslie Effman- patron) “It’s nice for me to be back here because this campus is my alma mater. So it caught my eye when I noticed it in the paper and when we saw it was the Latin Jazz Project and Wendell Rivera, well how could you not come?”
(Wendell Rivera) “Latin Jazz is a kind of music that incorporates the elements of North American Jazz with the Latin rhythms.”
(Wendell Rivera) “And if I can get someone to go like this, (moves to congas)…I’m happy.”
Besides entertainment, UB on the Green offers hands- on learning, as performers and visual artists share their craft…and culture.
(Casey Thomas) “I think this is just a fantastic event. It really brings art out to the people.”
(Casey Thomas explaining his pottery to the crowd) “there’s ground copper in the glaze- fire up to 1800 degrees.”
(Ras Jomo Akono) “And that’s one thing about all the arts, you know. It opens you up to an interpersonal experience.”
UB on the Green celebrates its university neighbors as well as UB’s historic South Campus.
(Vincent Clark) “There are a number of folks who thought that something like UB on the Green would be a great first step in mending some fences and creating opportunities for the community and the university ……. to get to know each other a little better.”
(Tonnalee Batchelor) “It says that UB is beginning to support and embrace the community in which it exists. And I’m so pleased. And I think this is truly, truly an olive branch, if you will.”
(Kamou Fields) “And I hope the word gets out, so that more and more people will come and enjoy it, and I hope this is the beginning of something really great.”
(Wendell Rivera) “UB on the Green. You have a jam right here. Hopefully it will continue for years to come. Thank you! Mucho gracias!”