Embody the Rhythm

Happy 2013 everyone!

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I was in Guinea soaking in the beauty and rhythms of the culture and dancing until my pores cried tears of joy. While my heart does ache to be there now, I am so grateful to be able to share these beautiful dances with you and that we have such fantastic drummers to keep our classes so lively and fun ~ I raise my glass to all of you in this wonderful community! Happy new year! 

I want to share with you a special clip from a voyage we took to Bentouryah during my trip last year… the drummers warm up for our dance class~ 

Bentrouryah is the village where the new Nimba Center will be located. It will be the future location of Youssouf’s annual dance and drum workshops in Guinea, as well as an off-grid dance & drum education center that will serve as a home base for a range of volunteer projects in renewable energy, sustainability, arts, and education. Maybe some of you will join me in studying there there some day?

Wongai! (Let’s go!)

Thanks to everyone who participated in my various fundraising endeavors in class last month. We raised a nice chunk of change to send to Amara Mansare as well as to Queen Brigitte (see my post from Dec. 5th 2012 for more info), and my deep gratitude if you donated to any of the other causes I’m advocating for… Including the building of the Nimba Center!

For the month of January

This month in class you will get to enjoy 2 fantastic dances~ Wonderful dancer/teacher, Nya, will be returning to share a Doundounba dance with you while I’m away (if you missed it last month, now’s your chance!), and I will be teaching Tiriba the weeks that I am here. (*You can use your pre-paid cards with Nya’s classes too*)

In Guinea I learned there are 4-5 traditional Doundounba dances, though new ones continue to be created and there are now upwards of 15! Doundounba dance parties are held for all manner of celebrations around Guinea. Now’s your chance to learn how to party Guinea style!

Doundounba in Conakry

I will be sharing with you, Tiriba ~ A dance that is traditionally saved for very special occasions. It is a dance for medicine people/magic workers, and the steps resemble birdlike movement. As we embody Tiriba we can honor and give thanks to the medicine people (healers) of the world as we enter this new era.  

I can’t wait to dance dance with you ~ I’ve missed you all!

Here we are in the final month of 2012! It’s a big time, not only for the turning in our individual lives to a new beginning, but for our collective human community. The winter Solstice on Dec 21st, marks the shortest day of the year and also the end of a very long cycle and beginning of a new one, according to the Mayan calendars.

I’m excited about the Mayan prophesy that says this is the beginning of a new phase, offering heightened awareness and cooperation for humankind and the opportunity to collectively create a more peaceful and healthy relationship with one another and the planet. Whether one believes the prophecy or not, we can hold this beautiful intention for one another! 

In the spirit of collective cooperation and support, specifically for many of our African friends in need of assistance, there are a number of fantastic causes and projects that I’m supporting and sharing with you this month:

1) This Thursday’s dance class will be in honor of and benefit to Amara Mansare, an incredible musician from Guinea who is one of the best djembefolas of his generation. Amara has been unfairly detained at the Elroy Detention Center in Arizona since July of 2011. Money from our class on December 6th will be donated to Amara to help him with his continued need for legal representation. For more information on and his situation: freeamara@gmail.com or click the link: Amara

Amara Mansare

Brigitte Ndikum-Nyada

2) Many of you may remember our beautiful dancer friend from Cameroon, Brigitte Ndikum-Nyada, who used to live and teach in Maine.  Her family has experienced multiple hardships in the past months and she is in need of assistance to return to Cameroon to give her beloved mother a proper burial. Please Contact me for information on how you can send support her way. As the saying goes, “every penny counts”. It’s true.

Youssouf dancing at a wedding Dundunba in Conakry

3) Our wonderful teacher, Youssouf Koumbassa, needs help to build Nimba Center for Arts & Sustainable Energy in Guinea ~ A nonprofit organization working to promote African dance culture and renewable energy solutions for quality-of-life improvement in Guinea, West Africa. Please check out this link for: Nimba and support if you can.

4) Young women in Kenya need help to receive the same rights that everyone deserves worldwide yet are still suffering from ancient practices that violate these rights. We can help via Human Rights for the Pastoral Girl Child. Through this resource a rescue center, community education, formal and vocational education will provide safety and choice. Please check it out and support if you can.

Kenyan girls

5) Muisi-Kongo S. Malonga,  a fantastic Congolese dancer and teacher who I had the honor of studying with at a dance camp in 2010, is raising funds for her creation of a solo ChoreOpera, Kimpa Vita! , The story of a great female prophet and spiritual leader from Congo, circa 1684, who’s spiritual teachings and influence still remain today. Please check it out and support if you can.

Muisi-kongo Malonga

I’m excited to dance and drum together as we head towards the new beginnings of 2013 letting the fire inside each of us burn brightly as we approach the shortest day of the year!

The studio will be jammin’ with the funky groove of the rhythm, Sinté, for the month of December, and dancer/teacher Nyama McCarthy-Brown will be subbing for me on 12/20, so we will have class every Thursday all this month. To stay up to date throughout the month you can find us on facebook at Portland Maine West African Inspired Dance.

Can’t wait to get down with you all again soon!

Peace & Happy Holidays

Through dance we engage not only our physical bodies~ we move and are moved by forces within and around us. I’ve been thinking about this since hurricane Sandy passed through here the other day, carrying with it such immense energy and movement, drawing all of us to attention. I thought~ what if we could harness the focus that we’re all giving to this one big force and together send positive and healing thoughts out into the storm to be carried on by the powerful winds, possibly to be dispersed as far and wide as it will travel~

I believe we can do this with the dance and music we create together each week.

Perhaps we are energetic beings engaging our physical forms with movement and sound, generating energy within ourselves and expressing this energy outward to those around us. Dancing can be like a prayer, a positive wish or intention being expressed through movement. Such big, beautiful energy is created each week in these classes of ours. Perhaps beyond joyfully sharing it with one another we can send it outward to the world around us as an intention for healing and an expression of gratitude.

There are just so many reasons to dance! 

For the month of November we will be dancing Yokí, also referred to as Guinea Faré. Guinea faré means literally “womens’ dance” in the Susu language. Coming from the Susu people of Guinéa, this is a popular dance for the day before weddings and for other celebrations as well. Take a peek at this video from a Yokí celebration in Guinea, earlier this year:

I cannot wait to dance with you this month!

Fall is in full swing ~ the trees are gorgeous and exploding with color, the air is fresh, apples are crisp, berries juicy, and the dance floor be a rockin’ at Maine Ballroom Dance on Thursday nights!  Fa faré boron! Come dance! 

Join me as we begin our 8th year of creating, expanding and celebrating this wonderful community in our weekly West African inspired Dance class in Portland!

Celebrating the culmination of another great class, feeling so much gratitude for my students and drummers!

We’ll be dancing SOKO in October, another fantastic dance from the Malinké people of Faranah, Guinéa.

This is a dance for the boys, so all you men out there who’ve been vying for some space on the dance floor, now’s a great time to join! ~ I encourage everyone to break free from our cultural confines, be inspired by Guinean dance, and take part in the celebration! See video example below.

There are lots of benefits to bringing friends over the next few months… new discounts offered all around. Don’t forget to inquire about them when you come to class and bring in some new faces, men and women alike ~ Let’s share this lovely community!

*Coming right up this weekend, classes with Sidiki Sylla and Ismael Bangoura in Kittery!

I’m so excited for a day of incredible classes and an evening performance by some of the best! If you want to carpool with me, don’t hesitate to holler.  I would love the company from Portland and you’ll never forget these incredible opportunities to boogie with master teachers. We are so blessed to have them visit Maine!

*Also, please don’t forget to sign up if you’d like to take a Dundun dancing workshop in Portland in October ~Take 1 or both~ Oct 21st & 28th.

I still need a few more students signed up in order to ensure these workshops can happen. If you’ve been thinking about doing it, or have it marked on your calendar and plan on coming~ please let me know ~ we need a minimum number of students for these to happen. (Scroll down to my last post on Sep 21st for all details) Thanks so much!

*Keep an eye  on Related Events & Classes 

~Lots of great opportunities for dancing and drumming and keeping healthy continue to arise in our community! I’ll continue to update this page as I get word of more fun opportunities.

Many blessings and peace to you! Happy fall!

Here’s a sampling of Soko moves~ At around 3:20 in the video the men join the dance floor! Check it out!

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.” ~Rumi

There is a longer version to this poem, which I really love and have somewhere, but can’t seem to find at the moment… However, the words are particularly potent for me so I wanted to share as much of it as I could find.

The past months have been so rich and full, joys and sorrows and all. I am still reveling in the amazing depth of music, dance and culture I steeped myself in while in Guinée; so deeply grateful for West African music and dance coming into my life (14 years ago now!) and remaining my favorite outlet for life’s passing tides.

I am excited to say that we can look forward to even more visits from West African dance and drum master teachers here in Maine this fall. Look who’s coming to Kittery again next month! ~

Check out the details to take classes with and see a performance by Sidiki Sylla, Ismael Bangoura & Soriba “Simbo” Camara at the Kittery Dance Hall on October 6th! Let’s get together a big caravan of folks from all over Maine to attend these exciting classes!

Also, opportunities coming up to take a series of marimba classes right here in Portland, starting October 10th! Keep an eye on Related Events & Classes to get advanced notices and more details about such things… Scroll down on the page to find information on the marimba classes right coming up.

Throughout the year I also teach occasional workshops and mini-series, outside of our weekly class, to children and/or adults  in after school programs, summer camps, at special events, etc..

I recently had the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of very supportive adults through the Bomb Diggety Arts Program in Portland, teaching a dance workshop accompanied by the incredibly talented drummer, Annegret Baier. The experience made quite an impression on me… and I think on everyone involved~

May we all experience freedom, joy, and complete abandonment of judgement through dance!

Dancing at Bomb Diggety Arts

Bomb Diggety Arts dance class

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And last, but definitely not least~

For the month of September in our weekly class we will be dancing Djolé! (or Yolé depending how you say it or who taught you)

I’ve learned that this vibrant dance comes from the southwest region of Guinée called Forekaria, and also from the neighboring country of Sierra Leone, from the Timiné people. The dance would traditionally be done as a way to showcase the various masks of the region to the younger generations. 

In this video you can see a celebration of Djolé/Yolé in Conakry, the capital of Guinée… and their guest drummer might surprise you! 

I hope to see you on the dance floor in September!

Peace

Dancing fills our bodies with vibrant life energy. It is a great way to connect with our self, our heartbeat, our rhythm, our spirit and our own personal flow. West African dance invites us to be invigorated by energetic movements and uplifting drumming while sharing in this with the community around us. What a gift we can give to ourselves and others through sharing in this together!

You don’t have to be a “dancer” or ever have danced before to feel the inspiration and affect of the drums on your body. If you’ve ever observed a young child as they listen to live drumming you’ve likely witnessed that they cannot help but to move to it. We are no different as adults except for our inhibitions. Silly inhibitions! 

I invite you to free your mind and body and enjoy your natural inclination to groove

This class is not about perfecting moves but about allowing your spirit to be free and opening yourself to feeling and honoring the traditions, places and peoples from where these dances come.

Come dance with me! You will be warmly welcomed!

For class in the month of August we will be dancing Soli~ a version coming from the Susu people of the Kindia region of Guinée. Here’s a preview of Soli performed by TutuOla!

Also, there are some VERY exciting events happening this coming weekend in Kittery and in Portland, Maine:

August 3rd- 5th we have an exciting opportunity to study dance and drumming with world-renowned artist M’Bemba Bangoura, from Guinée!!!  Don’t miss this fabulous teacher at the Kittery Dance Hall all this weekend!

Contact Liz or Alhassane Fowler-Camara for more details and get ready to get a serious groove on!

And, Sunday August 5th an amazing event is happening right here in Portland!!

A one-of-a-kind, one-time performance at Portland Stage Company as a collaboration between Seeds of Peace participants and the Transcendence Project… Check it out! Please come!

 35-artists-9-countries-1-performance

Peace

Summer is in full swing ~ Beaches are crowded with sun worshipping bodies, and the ocean, lakes and rivers are treating us to their sweet relief. Gardens are growing, flowers in bloom, birds singing their hearts out… with so many things to be grateful for it is a wonderful month to dance Kakilambé!

Drummers and dancers in Kindia, Guinée celebrating life ~ encouraging all to do the same!

If you were able to join in the celebration and take Youssouf Koumbassa’s incredible classes in Maine a few weekends ago you will recognize Kakilambé as the dance he taught in Kittery. This dance comes from the Baga people of the Boké region in Guinée. Youssouf explains that is a very, very old dance and rhythm from long before organized religions came to the country. Once a year everyone in the village would do this very special dance in honor of Kakilambé or “God”. Everyone would go to the forest to make their own unique costume for the dance, entirely from nature.

I invite you to move to this beautiful rhythm from Guineé, West Africa in the month of July.

Here are a few photos from our classes with Youssouf in Portland last month at the East End School ~ Thanks so much to everyone who came!

Youssouf shows us how to make the moves clean, and “sweet” like sugar.

Sharing a moment of gratitude.

I look forward to dancing with you soon!

Peace

Happy  summer in Maine! After we make our way through this soggy wet week let’s celebrate the return of sunshine and bring on the heat inside the dance studio!  This month we’ll be dancing Yankadi-Makru ~ From the Susu people of Guinee, this is a dance for love, traditionally done at night under the full moon.

We have so much to celebrate in June! Besides how beautiful summer is in Maine we will celebrate the exciting and anticipated return of master teacher Youssouf Koumbassa* this month as well!! The last time Youssouf came to Maine was almost exactly a year ago. We will have the special opportunity to dance with him again in Portland on June 22nd, AND at the Dance Hall in Kittery, June 23rd!* 

As if this were not exciting enough, Youssouf’s classes will be accompanied by master drummer, Mamadouba “Mito” Camara, also from Guinee, who will be teaching drum classes in Kittery as well. I hope to bring a big group of students with me to their Kittery classes on the 23rd. 

*Please follow the links to learn more about each of the upcoming guest classes, and please pre-register to help ensure we have a great showing of support for these master teachers. Registration and carpool sign up also available in our weekly class. Spread the word~ These special opportunities in Maine are not to be missed!*

Here’s a snippet to get you psyched for what is to come~ Youssouf, dancing at a Dundunba in Conakry, Guinee (he’s in the white shirt)

Hello and warm greetings,

It amazes me that we are already in the month of May, 2012… but here we are. Happy (day after) May Day everyone!

Last month I attended the Maimouna Keita School of African Dance, Annual Dance Conference in NYC. It was such a blast! I want to share with you a snippet of how much fun was had in these huge classes, which were held in a gymnasium at Baruch College. I took a short video clip to capture a few fantastic dancers during “solo circle” at the end of a class.

For those of you who danced with me in Portland in April, you will recognize some of these moves ~ They are dancing Sorsornet!

For the month of May we will be dancing to the rhythm Manjiani (pronounced Mahn-jAh-nee) ~ a rhythm and dance from the Malinké people of Guinea and Mali, originally created as a rite of passage for young women. It is danced in present day Guinea, by both men and women at wedding celebrations and other festivities. Get ready for more new moves, fresh from La Guinea!

Lastly, I wanted to share this poem with you by Jewel Mathieson, which speaks to my heart and soul, and I hope will be inspiring to you as well.

The trees are budding, flowers are blooming and the breezes have that great earthy smell again. Happy Spring everyone!

Sweet smelling flowers in Nongo, Guinea

April will be another great month to share in rhythm and dancing. This month we’ll be dancing to the tune of Sorsornet, a dance from the Baga people of the Boké village of Guinea.

I’ll also be heading to NYC this weekend for the annual dance conference hosted by the Maimouna Keita School of African Dance. Check it out. Maybe you would like to attend as well!

Chances to study with master teachers in West African drumming and dance in Maine are scarce ~ don’t forget to sign up in class for the carpool from Portland to Kittery on April 14th for the incredible opportunity to take classes with Abdoulaye Sylla and Ismael Bangoura! We’re quite blessed to have these two Guinean guest artists returning to the Kittery Dance Hall.

You can find more info on their classes by scrolling down to my last post on March 23rd, or by visiting SeaCoast West African Dance & Drum. Wongai! (Let’s go!)

Peace