Discover the roots of Afro-Peruvian music and dance Saturday, March 29 as the Edmonds Center for the Arts welcomes Peru Negro for an evening of the traditional sounds of colonial Peru.

Performing for more than 30 years in their home country and around the globe, Peru Negro’s 20-member ensemble has been keeping alive an art form that traces its history to the arrival of African slaves in Peru in the 1600s.

From this tragic beginning emerged a joyous art form that has ignited an enthusiasm for Afro-Peruvian sounds in their home country, one that has only recently hit North American shores. The groups popularity at home and abroad has helped to reinvigorate African music and dance forms that are related to Puerto Rican plena, Haitian voudou and other African American hybrids.

Symbolic melodies that have been preserved over the years by being passed down orally through the generations are joined with bright costumes and unconventional instruments to create an Afro-Peruvian carnival of songs and dances unique to their South American homeland.

The group’s popularity led to the Peruvian government appointing Peru Negro as cultural ambassadors. The group’s 2005 release, “Jolgorio,” received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional World Music Album as well as a Latin Grammy nomination. Their 2008 release is titled “Zamba Malato.”

Peru Negro’s performance in Edmonds coincides with the 100th anniversary celebration of the Peruvian consulate’s residence in Washington state, now located at 3717 NE 157th Street in Lake Forest Park. A week of events are planned beginning March 29, including public tours of a Peruvian naval ship at Seattle’s Pier 66, April 3 through 5, which will house historical displays and showcase products from Peru.

A gala celebration is also set to take place beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 5 at the consulate.