Musicians, storytellers and belly dancers will take Florida Museum of Natural History visitors on a journey through sounds and music from around the world Friday.
"Celebration of Sound" begins at 6 p.m. at the museum, located on campus at Hull Road and Southwest 34th Street. All community members are welcome, and event admission is free.
The event complements one of the museum's exhibits called "Wild Music: Sounds and Songs of Life," which opened in May and runs until Jan. 2.
Tickets ranging from $5.50 to $8 to the Wild Music exhibit will be available at the event. The whole museum will be open, and those who purchase exhibit tickets receive complimentary entry to the museum's Butterfly Rainforest, which will remain open that night.
The exhibit guides visitors to consciously experience sounds heard in natural and human environments, like rainforests or cities, and then educates them on how those sounds influence music and culture around the world.
"It illustrates that sound and music are all around us," said Leeann Bright, marketing and public relations coordinator at the museum.
Jazz trio Deezy Pete will perform at "Celebration of Sound," along with Native American storyteller Sarah Eiland and the Ethnic Dance Expressions Performance Ensemble.
Event guests will have the opportunity to join the dance ensemble in a belly-dancing tutorial and will also get to make their own maracas, Bright said.
Tiffany Ireland, the event's coordinator and the museum's education assistant, said it's exciting to have such a variety of dance and music performances in one event.
Arguably the most beneficial quality of "Celebration of Sound" and the Wild Music exhibit, Ireland said, is that it offers an experience for all ages.
"It's one of the few exhibits where truly any age will have fun," Ireland said. "You will learn something, but you might not realize it."
