The College of Southern Nevada Fine Arts Theatre and Dance programs proudly present Echoes of Heritage, a devised theatre-dance work created and directed by Kishema Pendu Malik and Jason Nious.

The story follows Ayana, a young African American college student with roots in Latin and West African culture. Deeply connected to all three worlds yet fully claimed by none, she is overwhelmed by her competing identities. As she falls into a dreamlike state, she is guided by Griot — a keeper of ancestral memory, and three cultural Elders representing Latin, African American, and West African traditions.

Through dance, spoken word, drumming, and collective movement, this story explores identity as layered rather than fragmented. At its heart, Echoes of Heritage is about reclamation; how ancestry lives in the moment, how culture survives in the body, and how one young woman learns that she is not torn between worlds — she is the echo that carries them forward.

Echoes of Heritage opens at CSN’s Backstage Theatre on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m., with additional performances scheduled on April 10-11 and 16-19 at 7 p.m. and a matinee performance on April 12 at 2 p.m. General Admission is $10, and $5 for non-CSN students, seniors, and military. CSN students are free with a Paw Pass.