Monday, February 6, 2012
West African Dance Festival in LA!
Sunday, February 26, 2012 there will be a West African Dance Festival at the Crenshaw Yoga and Dance 5426 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90047. 10am-12noon Naby Bangoura will teach Lamba and Dundunba 12noon-1:30 pm either attend a free Sabar drumming class or attend a Sabar dance class taught by Aziz Faye. 1:30pm-3 Lamine Thiame will teach Danza. 3-5pm Babacar Ndiaye will teach djembe. For more info see www.ndiayeafricanstyle.com.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Bob Marley's Birthday Drum Story to Honor our Ancestor of African Origin
Devout Rastafarian Bob Marley's birthday is tomorrow Monday, February 26, 2012. Born in Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica, he was able to spread his message of peace and love along with the story of the black man all around the world via his music.
African drumming, chanting, dancing, and singing is always done for a purpose as was Marley's music. His music always had the purpose of either evoking movement, speaking out on political injustice, and more. Marley wove his Rastafarian beliefs and Rasta music into his songs. "The most important instrument in Rasta music is the drum.", quoted from www.BBC.co.uk/religion/.../rastafari/.../music.
Marley laid ska, gospel, r&b, rock, folk, jazz, Latin, punk, scat, disco and even bosso nova over traditional Rastafari drumming. Rastafarian drumming can be traced back to the Burru drumming of the Ashanti people. See www.springvillage.org/Burru.htm
I encourage you to invoke the spirit of Bob Marley by drumming and chanting in his honor on his birthday. Perhaps the vibrations from the drumming and chanting will carry a message from our ancestor Bob Marley to you.
When the night sets and the moon rises be mindful of this Ashanti myth:
'The man in the moon is a drummer. Don't look at the moon too long lest you see him lay his sticks upon his drums. Upon the site of this, you will die.'. Perhaps Bob Marley simply looked at the moon too long. Bob Marley, deceased May 11, 1981. One Love!
African drumming, chanting, dancing, and singing is always done for a purpose as was Marley's music. His music always had the purpose of either evoking movement, speaking out on political injustice, and more. Marley wove his Rastafarian beliefs and Rasta music into his songs. "The most important instrument in Rasta music is the drum.", quoted from www.BBC.co.uk/religion/.../rastafari/.../music.
Marley laid ska, gospel, r&b, rock, folk, jazz, Latin, punk, scat, disco and even bosso nova over traditional Rastafari drumming. Rastafarian drumming can be traced back to the Burru drumming of the Ashanti people. See www.springvillage.org/Burru.htm
I encourage you to invoke the spirit of Bob Marley by drumming and chanting in his honor on his birthday. Perhaps the vibrations from the drumming and chanting will carry a message from our ancestor Bob Marley to you.
When the night sets and the moon rises be mindful of this Ashanti myth:
'The man in the moon is a drummer. Don't look at the moon too long lest you see him lay his sticks upon his drums. Upon the site of this, you will die.'. Perhaps Bob Marley simply looked at the moon too long. Bob Marley, deceased May 11, 1981. One Love!
Friday, February 3, 2012
What do women wear at West African Dance/Aerobic Classes
Hello, My name is LaToshia Ndiaye and I meet a lot of women who express to me a desire to take African Dance classes. One of the questions I get is 'What should I wear to class?' You will see participants wearing everything from regular sweat pants and a t-shirt to beautifully decorated African outfits. The number one concern is that you are comfortable. So wear what YOU want to wear.
Women often wear wrap-around skirts that we call lappas. These lappas usually are beautifully decorated in African designs or sparkly or even lacey designs. Often times, you will find these lappas for sale at the African dance classes. You will not usually find these lappas at regular stores or shopping centers. You may also find lappas at African dance workshops, conferences, and marketplaces.
Underneath the lappas women usually wear tights, or more lappas, or a kind of African lingerie that we call bechos. The bechos come in many beautiful designs. Some are lacey. Some have sparkly beads, etc. You will find bechos on sale at the same places that you find the lappas. Wear t-shirts or a beautiful blouse.
Be comfortable, have fun, and burn calories.
There are many other types of attire that I will describe in other blogs. But for now, this is a short description.
Women often wear wrap-around skirts that we call lappas. These lappas usually are beautifully decorated in African designs or sparkly or even lacey designs. Often times, you will find these lappas for sale at the African dance classes. You will not usually find these lappas at regular stores or shopping centers. You may also find lappas at African dance workshops, conferences, and marketplaces.
Underneath the lappas women usually wear tights, or more lappas, or a kind of African lingerie that we call bechos. The bechos come in many beautiful designs. Some are lacey. Some have sparkly beads, etc. You will find bechos on sale at the same places that you find the lappas. Wear t-shirts or a beautiful blouse.
Be comfortable, have fun, and burn calories.
There are many other types of attire that I will describe in other blogs. But for now, this is a short description.
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