Workshops
Through the grounded movement of traditional Mandé (West Africa) dances,
celebrate your body as the Temple of the spirit connected to Mother Earth.
Explore Breath, Ground, Inner Rhythm and Current.
DANCES & RHYTHMS of AFRICA
A dance & drum workshop with live percussion adapted to all levels.
Lua leads a free flowing warmup to start the session followed by sequences of movement accompanied by live drumming. Emphasis is given to developing a musical ear and coordination. Lua shares the name, the cultural and social context of a specific dance from West Africa and her accompanying percussionist introduces the instrument he is playing, its origins and how it is made. Participants are led into fun polyrhythmic hand-clapping, engaging call and response and song with our percussionist.
WATER SPIRIT
…An invitation to celebrate our sacred connection to water and the otherworld through the figure of the complex water divinity and spirit Mami Wata, Mother Water.
We will honor Mami Wata with dance, music and improvisation exercises. We will invoke Mami Wata’s spiritual wisdom, healing power, protection, seductive charm and more. Objects and cloths that could’ve belonged to Mami Wata will allow us to create our own ritual with the intent to reflect on history and memories from the African continent.
Come with an open mind and spirit.