For its eighth-annual Black History Month concert series, Sacramento Black Art of Dance has kicked off a two-weekend performance, “Soul Reverb,” mixing urban street culture through hip-hop and more traditional African culture.

The journey from traditional African culture to today?s African American youth culture could abound in everyone?s mind. For Sacramento Black Art of Dance, the goal is to infuse its audience with musical frivolity and powerful movement.

“What we are trying to do is to blend culture together with perspective in performance through dance,” said Dr. Linda Goodrich, S/BAD artistic director and a professor of the department of theatre and dance. “All the choreography is grounded in the Africa and black movement style which gives the elements of high energy and grounded soul. Once you experience our concerts, you go away feeling like you have seen traditional dance, modern and street hip hop all in one evening?s performance.”

The performance includes traditional African dance, which is choreographed by TV?s “Survivor Africa” drummer Anindo Marshall, blended with modern dance and music provided by a local media company, Women Dishin? Heat.

Resident choreographers, who are Sacramento State students and alumni, have been working on special performances since January. Among them, Nathan Jones, an S/BAD alumnus, will premier a new work titled “Soulocracy,” bringing to the company that trademark of black concert dance that typifies the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and the regional black dance companies in America, including S/BAD.

Goodrich says that the Black History Month concert is one of the two major concerts every year for S/BAD.

“They are definitely excited and ready. One of our members is four months pregnant, and she is more excited about this show than ever. We also are featuring a wordsmith, poet Dante Goodrich-Giray, my son, who is a featured poet at the Jamaica House every Wednesday night,” she said.

The performances will be at 8 p.m., Feb. 13 – 16 and 21 – 23 in Dancespace, Solano Hall 1010. Tickets are $12 general, $10 for students and seniors, and $8 for children under 11, and are available at the CSUS ticket office, 278-4323 or at www.tickets.com, 766-2277, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.