BRATTLEBORO — African Dance Vermont presents an exciting line-up of teachers for summer 2015 on Wednesday evenings. All of the classes take place at The Stone Church, 210 Main St.
The drum classes are held from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., and the dance classes are from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m., with different times for the special workshops.
The cost of the drum class is $10 and the cost of the dance class is on a sliding scale between $12 to $15, with different costs for the special workshops. All dance classes are accompanied by live drumming and all levels are welcome.
Raoul Ombang from Cameroon teaches a drum class every Wednesday, with the exception of July 8 and 29, and Aug. 1. Born in Cameroon in Central Africa, he started to drum and dance when he was 11 with a dance group from his village, Bafia. He created a School for Percussion & Dance in Bafia, where he taught traditional and modern percussion and dances from Cameroon.
Ombang gained fame as a percussionist and choreographer. He toured Chad, Nigeria, the Gabon and Togo, and was sought out by several artists to drum on their recordings. He joined the Singo Dance Troupe as a choreographer and percussionist and traveled to America with them. He currently resides in Brattleboro, where he continues to drum, teach, and promote the culture of Cameroon.
On July 1, Elhadji Mamadou Ba, also known as Pape Ba, from Senegal returns to Brattleboro. Ba has just returned from a trip to Senegal and brings great, fresh energy from his travels. He will also teach on July 15 and Aug. 12 and 19.
Ba is a master drummer and dancer from Senegal who has performed with and was one of the leaders of Les Ballets Africaine de Sangomare, a premier African dance troupe in West Africa. He is also a dynamic and spirited teacher who has taught dance to people traveling to Senegal in order to learn the traditional music and dance culture of West Africa.
Since coming to the United States in 2006, Ba taught and danced with Jeh Kulu in Burlington, at Marlboro College, and currently teaches regularly in Northampton, Mass., and Brattleboro. He is a dynamic teacher and enjoys sharing his rich culture with his students.
On July 8, two special workshops will be offered. Sayon Camara, a master drummer from Guinea who lives in Woodstock, will teach a drum workshop for all levels, for the first time in Brattleboro. It will be from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m., and the cost is on a sliding scale from $12 to $15. Yalani Bangoura, master dancer also from Guinea will teach a dance workshop from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and the cost is on a sliding scale of $15 to $20.
Camara is an exemplary djembe and dunun drummer, musician, performer, teacher, and keeper of the traditional village music of his homeland in Guinea. After serving as the djembefola in his village for decades, he studied intensively with Famoudou Konate, teaching in his workshops and is heard on many of Famoudou's CDs.
He now resides in Vermont and offers weekly classes, private instruction, and workshops throughout New England and the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Guinea, as well as school residencies.
Bangoura is a master dancer, performer, choreographer, acrobat, and teacher of dances from Guinea. He is also known for his hip-hop dances. He was a member of the award-winning West African dance and drum company, Les Merveilles de Guinea. He studied with Kemoko Sano, former choreographer, and Yamoussa Soumah, a principal dancer and teacher, for the legendary Les Ballet Africains. He has toured with Merveilles in the United States and Europe and has also toured West Africa and the Ivory Coast.
On July 22, Chelsea Agee, who has taught African dance regularly in southern New Hampshire and has taught in Brattleboro on occasion in the past, will return to teach Guinean style of dance.
Chelsea Agee has studied dance in Burlington; Amherst, Mass.; Guinea; and Ghana. Her teaching focuses on dances from Guinea she learned being a member of Jeh Kulu Dance & Drum Theater under the direction of Sidiki Sylla. Since moving from Vermont she has taught for nearly ten years in southern New Hampshire. Her goal is to create an inviting atmosphere wherein all levels of movers and shakers feel free and welcome.
On July 29 and Aug. 5, the Sankofa Drum & Dance Theater from Baltimore will present two evenings of special workshops. The word “Sankofa” means to learn from the past in an effort to build for the future. Salim and Jumoke Ajanku will teach the drum workshop from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m., and the cost is on a sliding scale from $12 to $15. Kibibi Ajanku will teach the dance workshop from 7:30 to 9 p.m. and the cost is on a sliding scale of $15 to $20.
On Aug. 26, Georgette Adjie from Cameroon will teach the dance class. As a child, Adjie began dancing traditional dances with the elders in her village and learning about many of the customs of her people. Since then, she has taught and performed dance in Cameroon and the U.S., joined the National Ballet of Cameroon through which she had the honor of touring 21 major cities in Japan, the World Expo in China, and the African Art Festival in Senegal.
Adjie started a dance troupe in Cameroon called Singo Dance Troupe to teach youth, many of them street kids, new skills and show them how they can use their talent in drumming and dance professionally. She now resides in Vermont and is continuing the momentum of her work through teaching, performances, and educational tours.