African performers taught students how to play tribal-styled instruments in the SUN Dining Hall on Feb. 23.

The KanKouran West African Dance Company told the audience what each of the drums are used for and the symbolism behind them.

“It was a big surprise,” Chris Linds, a second-year fine arts student, said. “It was cool to hear the background behind the different drumming and … rites of passage that they would be used for.”

Members of the dance troupe also discussed the importance of the African style of dress compared to American fashion.

“They really involved everybody there a lot, they brought people up on the stage, they got people clapping and moving along to the music,” Daniel Nickerson, a fourth-year web and interactive design student, said. “It was a really cool and interactive learning experience.”