Embody the Rhythm

I feel as though I am writing to you from a mountaintop high in the clouds as I revel in the joy of the amazing production on April 19th.

Bakunda (We Love) was a night of cross-cultural dance, music, spoken word and imagery that truly seems to have inspired feelings of resilience and awareness of interconnectivity in the community it brought together. 

Here are a few sweet snippets from the show, captured by Tony Castro (my wonderful dad)~

Flamenco

Stepping

B’inganzo

Spoken Word Poetry

Interweaving the Dances

Adding Layers

B’inganzo

Members of Olas

Djundjun Dance

Djundjun Dance

Our Drummers!

An Ensemble of Amazing Women

We are so grateful to all who shared in this very special evening and hope some day to share it again for those who missed it.

I am really excited for our upcoming new Tuesday night class, starting May 13th! I’ve had a strong response to the offering of a beginner class and can’t wait to spread the love of this dance form further.

This will also be a great opportunity for Thurs night dancers to hone in on strengthening and alignment techniques that support us in this dance and to return to the essence of the groove.

TUESDAY night classes will carry through for 8 weeks, May 13th – July 1st (and we’ll see where to go from there). During the month of May we’ll dance Kuku, a wonderful celebration dance from the Susu people of Guinea. FMI on the Tuesday class please scroll down to the post from April 23rd or click this link HERE.

THURSDAY night classes will continue as usual, accompanied by live drumming by our fantastic band. This month we are honoring the energy and rapid footwork of the dance, Sorsornet, from the Baga people of Guinea.

Stay tuned for an announcement about special guests, Youssouf Koumbassa~ master dancer, teacher &  and Namory Keita~ master drummer, both from La Guinea, West Africa. I’m working on bringing them back for workshops in Portland in the month of June!!

In Peace & Community