WEST AFRICAN GUINEAN with NABY BANGOURA and LIVE DRUMMERS
WEST AFRICAN GUINEAN with NABY BANGOURA and Live Drummers
Saturday August 20
10-11am
Yerba Buena Gardens (Esplanade)
In this class you will experience the traditional rhythms, dances, and songs of Guinea. You will also learn the meaning of the different rhythms and their accompanying songs and dances. Some of the rhythms/ dances we will explore are used for weddings, baby-naming ceremonies, and circumcision rituals. The class begins with a warm-up, followed with across the floor choreography and concludes with an improvisational dance circle around the drummers.
Naby Bangoura learned traditional West African dance during village ceremonies and celebrations in Guinée, West Africa. At the young age of fifteen, Naby started dancing professionally with Les Merveilles de Guinée, founded by the late world-renowned dance choreographer and artistic director Kemoko Sano, with additional leadership by the Yamoussa Soumah and the late Moussa Camara.
In 1998, Les Merveilles brought him to perform in major venues throughout the United States. Known for his energetic and fluid dance style and soaring spirit, master dance teacher Naby Bangoura has been performing and teaching high energy West African dance, Guinée style, in dance studios and dance workshops all over the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, and Guinée.
He is currently living in Berkeley and teaching West African dance at the Oberlin Dance Collective (ODC) dance studio, World Dance Center in Berkeley, as well as local elementary and high schools.
Learn more about Naby.
