Some of the most striking moments at Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration Fashion Show occurred when Senegalese designers Malick Tall and Maiga Sanata Diarra sent their fashions down the runway.

The designers came from Africa for the Expo's annual event; it's a good time to do so, as such other Senegalese designers as Oumou Sy (known for combining haute couture with social awareness of her country) have drawn eyes not only to Senegal but to all of Africa.

Tall, who showed his line Ndiaga Tall, presented clothes created of 100 percent cotton, but you might not have guessed that his fabrics were made of a natural fiber.

Dance Place  is hosting the Sankofa Dance Theater’s African Opera, The Sankofa Chronicles which is a tale of rebellious youth, time travel and lessons learned. Sankofa means reclaiming your past so you can move forward and build for the future. And in keeping with this definition, the dancers, singers and musicians will mix the old with the new by using the rich traditions of authentic African dance and drum and a new world African art fusion of movement and music.

You have two opportunities to see this show, Saturday, July 25th at 8:00 and Sunday, July 26th at 7:00. The tickets are $22.00 for general admission; $17.00 for artists, Dance Place members, Seniors (55+), Students (valid ID), teacher (pre-K-12) and $8.00 for children (2-17).

Marllen is a gifted singer and dancer from Mozambique.  She is scheduled to do her first ever tour of the U.S. with shows scheduled for the East Coast from Philadelphia to New York.

With her sensuous moves, it should come as no surprise that she recently won Mozambique’s Danca Dos Artistas ( the Mozambique hybrid equivalent of So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars).

She formed her first group in 2001 and released her first album in 2006 which was met with minimal success. Undeterred, she went back to the studio “Preta Negra” which was did so well that it got her signed to an entertainment studio, Celebrity Produçoes.  Her influences include Tshala Mwana (DR of Congo), Eugênio Mucavele (Mozambique), Céline Dion (Canada) and Roberta Miranda (Brazil).