News Archive – Center for World Performance Studies
Established in 2000, CWPS originated in the International Institute before shifting to the College of Literature, Science & the Arts in 2015 as part of the University of Michigan’s Residential College, and in 2024 became a part of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
![](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Charles-Lwanga-2025-index.jpg)
[Video] Composition by Professor Charles Lwanga Performed on Marimba in Collaboration with DMA Student Paige Madden
![T. Ayo Alston drumming](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/T.-Ayo-Alston_news-thumbnail.jpg)
West African Drum & Dance Course Returning Winter 2025
![Students seated in a row, each holding a flat drum and a mallet](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ireland-2024-featured-1024x768.jpg)
Immersion in the Lively Music and Dance of Ireland
![Logo with block M: School of Music, Theatre & Dance Center for World Performance Studies - University of Michigan](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SMTD-CWPS-featured-1024x683.jpg)
[Campus News] Center for World Performance Studies Recaps 2023-24 and Announces Move to SMTD
![](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Michael-Gould-feature-1024x902.jpg)
Michael Gould to Deliver Harold Haugh Award Lecture and Recital
![](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/NCO-soloists-1024x633.jpg)
Wrapping Up the Fall 2023 Festival of Asian Music
![Dancer performs on stage holding percussion mallets, with three drummers in background](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CWPS-T.-Ayo-Alston-news-thumbnail-WN24.jpg)
West African Drum & Dance course returning Winter 2024
![Performers in the interactive performance Ancestral Haiku.](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Ancestral_Haiku-_DSC3478_Photo-by-Kirk-Donaldson-1024x683.jpg)
SMTD Commits Support to the Center for World Performance Studies
![T. Ayo Alston performs drums on stage energetically, with arms raised holding percussion mallets](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/T.-Ayo-Alston-news-thumbnail-WN23.jpg)
West African Drum & Dance Course: Winter 2023
![Michael Gould performs on a drumset under dark stage lighting](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Michael-Gould-jazz.jpg)
CWPS Director Michael Gould Receives 2023 Harold Haugh Award
![Alfredo Cabrera headshot with microphone](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Alfredo-Cabrera-CWPS-Student-Spotlight.jpg)
Student Spotlight: Alfredo Cabrera
![Mangoes and bell peppers for sale at a stand, with handwritten prices](https://smtd.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lara-Kirby-Pardo-CWPS-post-2021.jpg)