We’ve recently celebrated the Chinese New Year and I am so pleased to have entered the year of the Horse. Horse is such a dear animal friend, reminding us by example to remain strong, graceful, wild… and to celebrate our freedom. How blessed we are to dance and be free!
We’re excited to bring you a new dance for Februrary ~ Sinté
Sinté comes from Boké village in Guinea. It is traditionally an initiation dance, and according to my teacher, Youssouf, it has become a national celebration dance in the country today. After a few more weeks behind the drum I so look forward to dancing Sinté with everyone very soon!!!
In the meantime, I continue to dream nearly every day of dancing in beautiful Guinea. Let’s pay tribute the roots of this dance form and dance up some heat, like we feel in the hot sands of Roum Island~
Giving thanks to Solomon’s Seal ~ An honored healer of joints, tendons and ligaments, amongst other things
Hello hello!
In an interesting “twist” of fate, I will be carrying through the next month behind a drum at dance class while wonderfully capable teacher, Janice Erickson, leads the dancing. Janice will continue right along with the fabulous dance, Soboninkun, this month and then lead on into a new West African rhythm and dance for February.
I’ll be having a small, arthroscopic, meniscus surgery to my left knee on Wednesday, Jan 22nd and be back to (gentle) dancing in 1 months time, then back to full dancing speed and pain-free capability (oh, how I’ve missed it) in the months to follow!
Sending out HUGE gratitude to Janice for keeping this class going in the meantime! There will be no gap in classes and this will offer you an opportunity to enjoy the strengths and talents of another seasoned teacher! I’ll be there too, behind a djembe, healing up to the rhythms of the drums.
I will pick back up teaching just as soon as I am good to go (mid-February), and in the meantime I am excited to see you all dancing from the front end of the room!!
Sun-bleached flowers in la Guinea, bringing a little bit of warmth to Maine!
Wishing you the happiest of new years from amidst this zero degree weather and blustery snow. I’m so sorry to have to cancel class for a second week in a row. I was speaking with various drummers and students on the phone today, trying to make the best choice for us all, and as I drove home I saw 4 people off the road. It seemed to be a sign. I wish everyone a warm and safe evening and invite you to dance around your kitchens and living rooms during normal class time so we can simultaneously invoke the energy of this great community together!
I am excited to share, with a little twist for the first month of the new year, we will continue on with the fantastically fun rhythm and dance, Soboninkun, for at least another week or 2. So many of you expressed such love for this dance and I was sorry to see it gone so soon with the busy month of December and then the snow cancellation last week.
I also wanted to announce that for the first time in 10yrs (anniversary celebration anyone?!) we are making a small increase in the class fee starting in 2014. I’ve been so happy to offer the most affordable dance class in town, complete with live music every week. I wish to continue to keep class affordable while “getting with the times” and acknowledging the increase in the cost of living since 2004. Everyone’s pre-purchased class cards will be honored at cost, through their expiration dates. Beginning this month, the drop in cost will be $14 (or $7 for very first class), and class cards will be $48 for for 4 classes (lasting 8 weeks) or $96 for 8 classes (lasting 3 months).
I am so grateful for each and every one of you dancers and drummers and so grateful that we have such a beautiful, ever-growing community to celebrate West African rhythm and dance with. Wishing you all many blessings in 2014 and I cannot wait to boogie with you soon!
Last week while we gave thanks for all good things in life the drums went on break and the studio was silent…
Drums resting in the shade in Conakry
I couldn’t help but dream of being in La Guinea.
Though it was only 2 years ago that I was gathering supplies and packing bags for an incredible trip to the birthplace of these rhythms, it feels like a decade. I can’t wait to return!
Perhaps some of you will join me next time ~ Winter 2015, anyone? That’s when I’m hoping for.
While we prepare to celebrate with loved ones over the coming month and perhaps seek organizations to support in our gift-giving, I’d love to encourage you to support Youssouf Koumbassa’s project, Nimba Center for Arts and Sustainable Energy. Please click HERE to learn about this fantastic project.
Bentouraya ~ Home of Youssouf’s Future Nimba Center
For the month of December I hope you’ll join me in celebrating this past year together as we send off 2013 with the energetic dance and rhythm, Soboninkun.
I’ve missed you these past few weeks and can’t wait to see you all again tomorrow night! In the meantime, feel free to join me in dreaming of Guinea…
This month I hope you will join me in dancing to give thanks (to everything and everyone we are grateful for!), while also giving thanks to dance for bringing such healing and joy to our souls and bodies.
We will drum up (and dance up!) the spirit of thanks-giving throughout the month, and then take it to share with our families and friends on Thursday the 28th (no class that night).
What a blessing it was to have Youssouf Koumbassa & Namory Keita grace our community last week! Thank you to everyone, dancers and drummers alike, who joined me in welcoming them. It makes me so happy to share in the celebration of West African Dance by bringing my “guru” and master teacher, Youssouf, to my home town.
Check out the beautiful crew of drummers that accompanied this class ~
10/31/13 Djembéfola, Namory Keita leads our talented crew of local drummers
This month as we shimmy toward the darker months of the year (saving all the daylight we can) we will honor the rite-of-passage dance, Soli. Soli is a vibrant dance of the Kindia region of Guinéa. I look forward to sharing this dance!
Let’s welcome Youssouf and Namory Keita here with a huge showing of support from our community! You can pre-register to reserve a spot or just arrive a little early on Thursday October 31st. Join the buzz and excitement!
I’m so excited to share this opportunity and experience with you!
Yousouf & Namory will also be making stops in Brattleboro, VT, Kittery, ME and Cambridge, MA. Please scroll down to last weeks post for more details!
Still buzzing from an amazing day of Guinean drum & dance yesterday, I am thrilled to announce that master Guinean artist, Youssouf Koumbassa, will be returning to Portland, Maine on a mini New England tour and teaching class here on Thursday, October 31st, accompanied by master djembefola, Namory Keita!!
Please help me to spread the word!
Youssouf teaching in Guinea, 2012
Namory in Guinea, West Africa
Join us at Maine Ballroom Dance Studio for an exciting night of dancing and drumming!
* Thursday, Oct 31st 2013 * 7:30pm * $15-$20 sliding scale * Please pre-register a.s.a.p. & reserve your spot by contacting Marita Kennedy-Castro *
*Youssouf will be in New England for 4 days in a row and for 2 consecutive weekends!*
Wednesday October 30th ~ Brattleboro, VT, 7-8:30pm @ Brattleboro Stone Church: www.africandancevt.com
Thursday October 31st ~ Portland, ME 7:30-9pm @ Maine Ballroom Dance Studio: www.embodytherhythm.com
This month in class I look forward to sharing Djolé with you as the leaves continue to change to lively reds, oranges, and yellows throughout the month. The energetic dance, Djolé, comes from the Timiné people of Sierra Leone.
Here’s a preview of Djolé~
There are a number of exciting Guinean drum and dance opportunities coming to Maine this month:
*This Saturday, October 5th, we’ll welcome 3 fantastic Guinean artists: Sidiki Sylla, Ismael Bangoura and Mangue Sylla to the Dance Hall in Kittery (link here for details) … AND …
*Thursday Oct 31st, we’ll welcome Youssouf Koubassa back to Maine Ballroom Dance Studio in Portland accompanied by Namory Keita ~ I couldn’t be more pleased!
Let’s pack the studios and give these artists a warm welcome so they’ll come again and again~
Late summer greetings & Happy New Year to all celebrating Rosh Hashanah!
Celebrating abundance this month in all of it’s forms, including so many opportunities to dance and drum with master teachers of Guinean drum & dance in Maine!
*Upcoming: Thursday September 12th ~ Alhassane “Papain” Camara will be visiting from New Mexico and guest teaching for one night only at the Kittery Dance Hall as well. (Yes, I know it’s the same night as our Portland class, but it’s such a great opportunity and I encourage you to go!)
Known for his graceful yet powerful style, Alhassane shares his vast knowledge of Guinean dance with students of all levels. He has taught in the Seacoast several times. Here is a clip from a class he taught in Newburyport in 2011 as well as a post class solo in Arizona. Please contact Liz Fowler for more info. I’d love to hear all about it when you get back!
*Upcoming: Saturday October 5th~A very exciting day of dancing and drumming with Sidiki Sylla, Ismael Bangoura and Mangue Sylla is coming right up, also very close by, in Kittery, Maine!!
These 3 master artists will be offering classes in drumming, dancing and dundun dancing AND performing that evening. Our very own, Blue Moon Tribe, has been invited to perform as well, which we’re quite excited about! Please visit this LINK FOR OCT 5th CLASSES for all the details about how to pre-register and carpool from Portland.
I’m feeling super blessed to have an ever-growing community sharing in the love of West African dance in my home town. So much gratitude to everyone who joins me in Portland!! I hope to share the day together on Oct 5th, and keep an ear to the ground because we’ll have even more opportunities to dance with master teachers in New England this fall.
This month in class we will be celebrating the rhythm and dance, Soko ~ A dance coming from the Malinké people of Faranah, Guinea. It is a dance for young boys and I am grateful to offer it this month as my two young brothers are making big leaps in their lives. One heading off to college and the other starting his sophomore year in high school.
In this video Mbemba Bangoura plays lead djembe for Soko ~ (I’m excited to recognize some of my friends from Guinea in this video as well… thanks to Michael Pluznick for posting it!)
Let’s celebrate all of the young boys in our lives as we dance Soko in September.
See you on the dance floor… Peace, blessings and abundance to you!
Hello hello! I hope you’re all enjoying a glorious summer evening as I write to you from beneath this amazing full moon. It was actually a BLUE MOON yesterday, which, I just learned from a dear friend, is actually the 3rd full moon of a season. It is the perfect time to be dancing Yankadi and Makru, as these 2 dances of the Susu people of Guinea were traditionally danced at night, under the full moon. We have one more week to celebrate these beautiful dances, so come join in the sultry and celebrational groove!
I am excited to share that our talented community member, Alison Green-Parsons, will be bringing along her lovely hand-made journals and jewelry for everyone to peruse this week before & after class. I encourage everyone to bring a little extra cash, as her wares are difficult to resist… They make great gifts too!
Alison’s hand-covered journals
Also, next week’s class (8/29/13) we’ll have guest teacher, Nyama McCarthy-Brown, back to the studio. For those of you who’ve danced with her before you know what fun is in store, and for those of you who haven’t… well, lucky you! I will be on my residency at Goddard College in the mountains of VT, and you will be in good hands. Your pre-purchased class cards will apply, so let nothing hold you back from experiencing a new teacher! Enjoy!
…Hope to see you all this week on the dance floor…
Embody the Rhythm 