Dance & Drum Classes
All people, ethnicities, gender expressions, and ability levels
always welcome. Dance and music are our unifying languages.
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Guinea Style, West African Dance
with Marita Kennedy-Castro
Beginner/Foundations
FRIDAYS | 9:00-10:15am
ONLINE / in STUDIO* / by RECORDING
Scroll down for blue registration links and class details.
JOIN ONLINE! All classes live-streamed via Zoom.
To get an account: https://zoom.us/
Also available by video, if you can’t attend at class time.
*STUDIO CLASSES are properly distanced for everyone’s safety / masks are required / please stay home if feeling sick.
Studio spaces are currently full ~ WAITLIST for studio spots available upon registration ~ If space opens in-studio you’ll be notified. We dance at Portland New Church, 302 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME.
CLICK HERE for Drop-In, Nov 27
CLICK HERE for Drop-In, Dec 4
(More drop in links added weekly)
COST: Available on Communally Supported Sliding Scale:
For those with the means, paying the suggested price or more supports the teaching artist/s; helps offset those whose funds are limited; allows Embody the Rhythm to continue contributing to these important Social Change Initiatives. Spread love!
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DETAILS: Beginner/Foundations in Guinea Dance. Honoring the source and original teachers of this form, these classes bring community together through the healing power of movement and music. We focus on the foundations and feeling of each dance, exploring the heart and hip opening movements of Guinean traditional dance. Students learn the origins and cultural context of each of the dances/rhythms.
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All classes are being shared from unceded Wabanaki Confederacy Territory, known as Portland, ME under colonization. To learn more about this land acknowledgment click here.
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More Dance Options Shared Below
Guinea style West African Drumming
with Namory Keita
Intermediate/Advanced
THURSDAYS 6:00-7:00pm
Online via Facebook & IG Live: LINK HERE
Guinea style West African Drumming
with Annegret Baier
All -Levels
WEDNESDAYS 6:00-7:00pm
Online via Zoom. LINK HERE.
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TUESDAY DANCE CLASS with live drumming is on hiatus a few months due to the need to properly distance. It will return!
PRIVATE DANCE LESSONS: Available Online!
Contact Marita for details.
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ALL ARE WELCOME.
“If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.”
~ Proverb from Zimbabwe
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Guinea Style West African Dance Class
Dance and drumming are a rich part of culture and community in Guinea. There are traditional rhythms and dances that accompany all manner of life’s passages and natural cycles, including births, weddings, coming of age ceremonies, the planting and harvesting of crops, full moons, and celebrations of many sorts.
In these classes Marita shares dances from 20+ years of study under master West African dance and drum artists, both in the U.S. and in Guinea, West Africa. She will share the names, meanings, regions and ethnicities from which the dances come, honoring the source and recognizing our place in the lineage of learning. Marita promotes awareness and appreciation for the culture and traditions of her teachers and for the interconnectedness of all life.
What to expect:
Classes begin with a warm up, we tune into our bodies and get our blood flowing…
Next, dance steps or sequences are broken down and repeated in parts…
The environment of these classes is welcoming to students of all levels.
Marita teaches a different dance monthly in each class, starting new dances at the beginning of the month or series. Students are lead through short sequences or choreography and invited to enjoy the enlivening rhythms of Guinea.
Live drumming in the traditional rhythms is provided by a fantastic crew of professional drummers for Tuesday nights class; beautiful Guinean recordings are utilized for the Beginner series.
Dance steps and sequences are broken down for every class. No prior knowledge is required for drop-in students. Those who come consistently can really get the moves into their bones.
What to wear & bring:
We generally dance barefoot, but dance shoes are fine too, if preferred. Please wear comfortable clothing that allows you ease of movement, and the ability to work up a sweat, and
bring water to stay hydrated.
