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Duke Arts Presents

Ranky Tanky

Saturday, October 24, 2020 | 8:00 pm


Duke Performances is excited to present our Virtual Fall season – The Show Must Go Online! High-quality, commissioned films featuring artists originally slated for in-person performances will premiere on Vimeo for ticket holders. Each film, shot following local safety protocols, is made in collaboration with an audio and video crew in each artist’s home city. 

General admission tickets are $10 per presentation and Duke Student tickets are available free of charge through the support of the Provost and the Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke University. Before the premiere, ticket buyers will receive a unique Vimeo link to stream each performance online at the scheduled time. After the conclusion of the premiere, films will be available for viewing for 24 hours.

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Some say, “Get funky.” Others say, “Ranky Tanky.”

2019’s GRAMMY winners for Best Regional Roots Music Album, Ranky Tanky celebrates Gullah culture, playing arrangements and rhythms from the Sea Islands off the coast of the southeastern United States. The Charleston-based quintet honors the traditions of descendants of enslaved West Africans who lived in the Lowcountry, championing their enduring influence with each rollicking performance. The Billboard chart-toppers make “soulful honey to the ears” (NPR) and their sets encompass a full spectrum of sonic diversity: playful game songs to ecstatic shouts, heartbreaking spirituals to delicate lullabies. Ranky Tanky makes its Duke Performances debut during a well-deserved victory lap following their award-winning Good Time. Behind lead singer Quiana Parler, the distinctive locality of Ranky Tanky’s sound is traditional yet timeless, driving yet delicate, sensational yet spiritual.

— Joseph Schwartz

Click to view the full program for this performance.

Ranky Tanky's residency is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. Student tickets for Duke Performances’ Virtual Fall season are made possible through generous support from the Provost and the Vice Provost for the Arts at Duke University.

Ranky Tanky at Paste Studio NYC


"Enough to provoke swinging hips and nodding heads."

Paste Magazine