This week, I was luckly to work with Vado, teaching the youth of New York traditional Ivorian dance with a high dose of Djembe and Dunun power!
It was in class, while playing the Dunun drums, I felt a force of strength that sent me right over the moon! Our students felt it instantly and began screaming, "I am aliiiive! I am soooo alive!" With the passion as palpable as ever, I was overcome with joy that God has called me to dance, that the universe has laid the bounty of African dance at my feet! Now, as we embark on this journey, "Don't stop dancing!" Vado urges. For through dance, "You get older, but you look young!" Yes! --Malena
It was in class, while playing the Dunun drums, I felt a force of strength that sent me right over the moon! Our students felt it instantly and began screaming, "I am aliiiive! I am soooo alive!" With the passion as palpable as ever, I was overcome with joy that God has called me to dance, that the universe has laid the bounty of African dance at my feet! Now, as we embark on this journey, "Don't stop dancing!" Vado urges. For through dance, "You get older, but you look young!" Yes! --Malena
Bolokada Conde
Why I'm going to Guinea with Bolokada.... again! & Why you should go with us!
10:43 AM
Bolokada's Drum & Dance intensive in Guinea this December & January is coming straight from his heart to yours! If you are considering traveling with Bolokada and I, please check out the video itinerary below, & get gooood & ready!
Some people may ask, ‘well why travel alllll the way to Africa to learn?’… The importance of actually being in Guinea can not be overstated.
Bolokada’s workshops: We learn right inside Bolokada’s house, which makes each class a very personal and intense experience; As we train with Bolokada, we get to interact with his friends and family, and a number of his special visitors from Koungbana to his star Djembefola brother Fakoli
Working with Bolokada’s company: His band of musicians are just the most brilliant perfectionist and adventure buddies. Between Bolokada and his company, we learn so much about traditional Malinke rhythms and arrangements… They won’t let you slack either; Surrounded by musical excellence, you grow by kicks and strides
Live Djembefola ceremonies: Because Bolokada is still a leading Djembefola in the villages of Guinea, we got to participate in real cultural ceremonies, weddings and parties, and partake in the culture as artists and participants, not tourists
Faranah: We stayed in the compound of the late great Fadouba Oulare and his family in Faranah; His sons watched over us with love and affection; and Fadouba’s son Sekouba taught perhaps some of the greatest Djembe classes of all time. This slice of living history gave me happy chills
Bolokada’s wife’s cooking. One word: ‘deeeeelicious!’ No, two words: ‘More, please!’
Dancing with Ibrahima: I see why Ibrahima’s company Ballet Soleil has won many awards! Ibrahima is one of the world’s top dancers; his passion and skills are immediately transferred as he shares Guinea dance with sheer grace, strength, articulation, and power!
There are many more reasons why I'm going to Guinea again, and with Bolokada! As we unite on this journey together, I am happy to share this experience with you!
To learn more about Bolokada's Guinea trip, please reach me or visit www.Trip2Guinea.com
Studying music and dance in Guinea with Bolokada is like
getting a tour of the White House from president Obama himself!
Bolokada is Guinea’s Godfather of Malinke music and folklore! In Guinea, people greeted him like the grand King that he is. In every village, Bolokada put people into a frenzy wherever we traveled! The sheer love and respect that he commands is extended by the oodles to all of his guests.
This December, I’ll be taking my second trip to Guinea with Bolokada!! He invites Djembefolas, Drummers, Performers, Educators, Dancers, Students and Professionals to train live in the Malinke Djembe music that bedazzles our lives. He invites us to learn in the lap of the people who have preserved Guinea’s epic culture and folklore.
Bolokada has organized two trips, in December 2014 and January 2015! We will join his company, family, and friends for the learning intensive that will enthrall you for years and years! We will be studying non-stop with Bolokada – and his electrifying dance partner – Ibrahima Soumah, director for Ballet Soleil D’Afrique! We will be immersing ourselves in the city and village culture; the sounds, senses, activities and conversations of Guinea!
Bolokada is Guinea’s Godfather of Malinke music and folklore! In Guinea, people greeted him like the grand King that he is. In every village, Bolokada put people into a frenzy wherever we traveled! The sheer love and respect that he commands is extended by the oodles to all of his guests.
This December, I’ll be taking my second trip to Guinea with Bolokada!! He invites Djembefolas, Drummers, Performers, Educators, Dancers, Students and Professionals to train live in the Malinke Djembe music that bedazzles our lives. He invites us to learn in the lap of the people who have preserved Guinea’s epic culture and folklore.
Bolokada has organized two trips, in December 2014 and January 2015! We will join his company, family, and friends for the learning intensive that will enthrall you for years and years! We will be studying non-stop with Bolokada – and his electrifying dance partner – Ibrahima Soumah, director for Ballet Soleil D’Afrique! We will be immersing ourselves in the city and village culture; the sounds, senses, activities and conversations of Guinea!
This trip has reached deep into my heart, giving me eternal inspiration.
Some people may ask, ‘well why travel alllll the way to Africa to learn?’… The importance of actually being in Guinea can not be overstated.
Here’s what I loved most about training and touring in
Guinea with Bolokada:
Bolokada’s workshops: We learn right inside Bolokada’s house, which makes each class a very personal and intense experience; As we train with Bolokada, we get to interact with his friends and family, and a number of his special visitors from Koungbana to his star Djembefola brother Fakoli
Working with Bolokada’s company: His band of musicians are just the most brilliant perfectionist and adventure buddies. Between Bolokada and his company, we learn so much about traditional Malinke rhythms and arrangements… They won’t let you slack either; Surrounded by musical excellence, you grow by kicks and strides
Bolokada’s villages: Traveling to Bolokada’s home village
was simply beautiful -- the natural landscape, the clean and spacious huts, and
the village people and escapades are forever in my heart
Live Djembefola ceremonies: Because Bolokada is still a leading Djembefola in the villages of Guinea, we got to participate in real cultural ceremonies, weddings and parties, and partake in the culture as artists and participants, not tourists
Faranah: We stayed in the compound of the late great Fadouba Oulare and his family in Faranah; His sons watched over us with love and affection; and Fadouba’s son Sekouba taught perhaps some of the greatest Djembe classes of all time. This slice of living history gave me happy chills
Bolokada’s wife’s cooking. One word: ‘deeeeelicious!’ No, two words: ‘More, please!’
Dancing with Ibrahima: I see why Ibrahima’s company Ballet Soleil has won many awards! Ibrahima is one of the world’s top dancers; his passion and skills are immediately transferred as he shares Guinea dance with sheer grace, strength, articulation, and power!
There are many more reasons why I'm going to Guinea again, and with Bolokada! As we unite on this journey together, I am happy to share this experience with you!
To learn more about Bolokada's Guinea trip, please reach me or visit www.Trip2Guinea.com
This past
weekend was my first time at Camp Fareta!!
It’s a 6-day drum and dance boot
camp in California, led by the world’s greatest spartans of West African dance & music and our
dear friends, including Youssouf Koumbassa, Aziz Faye, Bolokada Conde, Mbembe
Bangoura, Moustapha Bangoura, Mabiba Baegne, Abdoulaye Sylla, Djeneba Sako, Wadaba Kourouma, Mangue Sylla, Sista
Jewel, and several others.
Me, giving it aaaall to the dance floor and more, during an electric Soko, taught by Moustapha Bangoura of Guinea.
The organizers Youssouf Koumbassa, Christina Tuccillo, and Sarah Lee Parker Mansare, and team, are
simply angles to me and the oodles of people they inspire through this event.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This was a priceless experience!! The dance fireworks I learned
were simply the greatest. Right when I think I’ve witnessed the pinnacle of
African Dance & Music, events like this reveal the astronomical depth of
this art and the love the people bring.
The Grandmaster teachers of Camp Fareta!
I am forever transformed, and determined to push my work to uncharted
levels of creativity, power, and expressiveness. In addition to the dance and drum, people and
possibilities is what I love about Camp Fareta!!
The camp gathers together such
a diverse and fierce force of professionals-- dancers, doctors, lawyers, and
drummers, you get an education on many levels and a network of friends who are
so eager to seize the great opportunity that is life itself. I also loved the camp grounds, located in the
mountains an hour outside Fresno California. The shared cabins were delightful;
the showers piping hot; the terrain, hilly and serene; and the crisp air,
beautiful trees and lake -- an antidote to fatigue.
I only spent two days at
Camp Fareta and I am a fan forever. I will go to Camp Fareta forever!! I want
to thank every single person, adult and child, Grand master and student,
organizer and supporter. This is what the world needs, and this is a dancer’s
dream come true.
-- Malena
Bolokada Conde Workshops
Pinch yourself!! Bolokada Conde workshops in St. Louis this Saturday!
4:24 AM
Hi dear friends!
I am so excited to announce that Bolokada Conde, our cherished friend and international Grandmaster Djembefola from Guinea, will be visiting St. Louis this Saturday, and teaching two pheeeenomenal workshops this Saturday, May 31.
He is so happy to be back to St. Louis and share his rich musical gems!!
So join him, join us! Learn new, spectacular Malinke rhythms, songs, history, and have a ball!
To RSVP, text or call Malena @ (314) 458 - 4282
Also visit the FB event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1423802411225112/?source=1
Born in the hills of Morowaya, Guinea, West Africa, Conde is a master among masters and one of the richest treasures of Malinke music and folklore on earth. As one of Guinea’s most premier and prolific Malinke Djembefolas, Conde has taught the spellbinding Malinke music and folklore across the world and at the highest level. After gaining widespread acclaim as one of Guinea's most sought after village Djembefolas, Conde immigrated to America, yet he continues to perform bedazzling traditional Malinke ceremonies in villages across Guinea. A Grandmaster, Conde takes pride in sharing the Malinke rhythms, songs, and culture with sheer passion, patience, and remarkable zeal.
--Malena
*Photo: Bolokada in Guinea, by Carla.
I am so excited to announce that Bolokada Conde, our cherished friend and international Grandmaster Djembefola from Guinea, will be visiting St. Louis this Saturday, and teaching two pheeeenomenal workshops this Saturday, May 31.
He is so happy to be back to St. Louis and share his rich musical gems!!
So join him, join us! Learn new, spectacular Malinke rhythms, songs, history, and have a ball!
To RSVP, text or call Malena @ (314) 458 - 4282
Also visit the FB event at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1423802411225112/?source=1
Born in the hills of Morowaya, Guinea, West Africa, Conde is a master among masters and one of the richest treasures of Malinke music and folklore on earth. As one of Guinea’s most premier and prolific Malinke Djembefolas, Conde has taught the spellbinding Malinke music and folklore across the world and at the highest level. After gaining widespread acclaim as one of Guinea's most sought after village Djembefolas, Conde immigrated to America, yet he continues to perform bedazzling traditional Malinke ceremonies in villages across Guinea. A Grandmaster, Conde takes pride in sharing the Malinke rhythms, songs, and culture with sheer passion, patience, and remarkable zeal.
--Malena
*Photo: Bolokada in Guinea, by Carla.
My recent master class at Riverside City College in California has me well convinced that the next generation is on its way to creating some of the greatest thinkers and creators of all time. My students exuded an unprecedented sense of confidence, initiative, and leadership as they dove into my advanced lesson for the day.
Reflecting a tremendous array of nationalities and backgrounds, my students found common ground in the African rhythms. And as we ripped into Yankady, the full-moon, flirtation dance of the Sousou people of Guinea, my students revealed personalities and dance moves both fearless and utterly focused!
And this is why I love working with young people, and helping build their dreams. There is a light in their eyes and a believability in their bodies that vaporizes limits, and inspires creativity.
More and more, I see how African Dance is so important to the development of young people. African Dance choreography activates the human spirit, compelling people to push beyond the average or the mundane. The complexity and rigour of the dance demands a "no guts, no glory" life philosophy, which builds strength. Through improvisational exercises, African dance helps kids break the habit of seeking approval before making a move. Best of all, African music teaches us how to stay connected to the pulse of life, but also, how to generate the very pulse of life!
I am forever thankful for the opportunity to be in a room of young people -- myself included. For once class is over, I have every confidence we are going to remake this world using the best of what we've got!
-- Malena
2014 is already
on the move! And AddLife! is working hard, creating the dance action that will
push us to new heights this year and after.
In celebration of 2014, I want to share a bit about my trip to Guinea this past December. Particularly, I want to talk about the people who inspired me, and what I learned. It is my hope that my Guinea experience encourages you to keep mastering your craft, chasing your life calling, and studying African Dance!
[Photo: The phenomenal group of dancers and musicians who led our dance classes in Guinea]
For three weeks in December, I studied drum and dance intensely with Malinke Grandmaster Djembefola --
Bolokada Conde -- who hails from the Sankaran region of Guinea, and Ibrahima Soumah, director of Guinea's Ballet Soleil D'Afrique.
The non-stop
Guinea tour deepened by passion for African Dance tremendously, and developed my
skills and creative vision!
THE DRUMMING
After 10 years
of studying African Dance, I took my first big bite into Malinke
Djembe drumming! And good God, the experience was great!
Bolokada
expertly guided the group of students and I through Guinea’s most
ancient Malinke drum rhythms and songs such as Solafo, Koloni, Fakoli Djembe,
Malo, Lamban, and Kassa. With the exception of Kassa and Lamban, these rhythms
are never played in classrooms and concerts across America. In fact, they are so rare and embedded in village tradition, it takes an expert Grandmaster
like Bolokada to bring these ancient songs to the world. Realizing this, I am
forever grateful to have traveled to Guinea with Bolokada. Bolokada spent a
significant span of his adulthood living and working as a drummer in the
villages, so he is a living library of some of the most obscure yet
magnificent Malinke rhythms, songs, and traditions. It wasn't until well into his adulthood that Bolokada joined Les Percussions
de Guinée, toured the world, and came to America in 2004, where he has enriched thousands of students with his foremost expertise.
This is why I’m so happy to be studying with Bolokada. He is the world's foremost harbinger of Malinke village rhythms and folklore, and he is dedicated to perpetuating these hidden village gems, and pushing his students to accurately learn these ancient rhythms.
This is why I’m so happy to be studying with Bolokada. He is the world's foremost harbinger of Malinke village rhythms and folklore, and he is dedicated to perpetuating these hidden village gems, and pushing his students to accurately learn these ancient rhythms.
[Photo: Bolokada, with the group of students and Guinea drummers I traveled with]
The Malinke
rhythms Bolokada taught us are so intricate and beautiful, they would just lift
us off the ground as we practiced their layered Djembe accompaniments and
Dundun orchestra arrangements. Now, I can’t stress this enough. Bolokada is such
an incredible instructor and trip leader. His teachings are brilliantly detailed, organized, and generous -- while his guidance pops with eye-opening historical context and folkloric stories. Learning with him re-awakened me to the genius that is African dance and music! While I’m a beginner
Djembe player, it was awesome to see Bolokada push the advanced drum student Paul, with some of the most lavish solo phrases I’ve ever heard.
Sometimes Paul would get totally overwhelmed by the rapture of these solo phrases, but Bolokada would patiently pull Paul through, repeating the drum phrases beat by beat, until Paul caught it! These drum sessions
were simply the fire of life! And I can’t wait to continue my drum practice with Bolokada.
LIFE IN THE
VILLAGE
What I loved the
most about my trip was the tour. Bolokada took us to a total of four
Guinea villages: Kissidougou, Morowaya – Bolokada’s hometown -- Manfran, and
Faranah – home of the late great Djembe Legend, Fadouba Oulare.
Bolokada has family and deep roots in each village, so when we arrived, we were
greeted like royalty, with hundreds of children, village elders, women, men,
and families gathering to celebrate us. We were surrounded by love, attentive helpers, and beautiful people all day. At night, we joined Bolokada and his
drum band as they put on the most spectacular Doundounba parties I’ve ever
experienced. Bolokada commanded each Doundounba -- first with a blast of
exquisite music selections, then with phenomenal drum solo performances, and with live song in which Bolokada led the entire village in a harmonic vocal celebration. All the while, we’d dance – take turns lunging into the massive solo circle.
THE DANCING
It was during
these Doundounbas that I absolutely fell in love with the dancers of Guinea. My favorite dancers in Guinea were Ibrahima Soumah, and Konko and Yanle. Ibrahima
Soumah is the director of Guinea’s Ballet Soleil D’Afrique. He also provided
the daily dance instruction for the trip. Konko and Yanle are two gorgeous
dancers who hail from the rolling hills of Faranah and are kinfolk of Fadouba
Oulare.
[Photo by Carla Promprowitz: Bolokada performing at a Doundounba in Morowaya]
When these
master dancers stepped into the circle, time collapsed and nothing else
mattered except the happiness they created in every step. Ibrahima in particular,
had a funky, mesmerizing style. A classical Guinea ballet dancer by day-- at night,
Ibrahima would remix his Doundounba steps into a shot of crisp spins, peacocking steps, and arms dripping with attitude! Let me tell you, he is the love
child of James Brown and Yousouff
Koumbassa, and I couldn’t keep my eyes
off him. Meanwhile, Konko and Yanle are perhaps Guinea’s most amazing
traditional village dancers. They move like Goddesses. At just 20 and 19, the
two girls are close friends, and when they danced in the solo circle, they moved
like dragons over a mountain. Konko and Yanle would jump 5 feet in the air,
twirl around in non-stop circles, tap and kick their feet in the most complex
patterns, then charge Bolokada as he drummed and marked their steps. Confident
and aggressive, Konko and Yanle would conduct an entire conversation of technical movement with the drummers. They’d get right up in the
drummer’s face and start talking with those dance steps, drawing lines of power with their bodies that flowed like a
tidal wave of motion. Every time they danced, all anybody could do was watch and cheer.
Interestingly,
many of the village dancers were teenage girls who’d perform a new
dance that showed off their hips and behind in this slow grinding movement that
mimicked a sensual lap dance! Other times, an old man would tip-toe
into the circle and blow everyone’s mind with a few pelvic thrusts and
foot cuts that defied his old age.
Then there were the Doundounba men, who would bombard the musical
ceremony, some slinging axes. Their dancing was pure might, as they
muscled through the traditional Doundounba foot patterns with the effervesce of
well-trained dancers.
As we danced
and partied together, I learned so much from Ibrahima, Konko, and Yanle. When
we weren’t dancing, we were talking about dance, and improvising steps at
random -- while walking to the water well, sitting over a camp fire, or hanging
laundry. As dancers, we always had a song on our lips, and spoke in drum
rhythms. And at every turn, we challenged each other to a dance solo, where we
tried to make the other person laugh or fall over with delight. It was interactions
like these that really improved my dance style. In Africa, you don’t dance, you
are the dance. And as you move through life, you learn to use dance to
communicate messages of love, camaraderie, and desire.
GROWING IN
GUINEA
As we traveled
from village to village, my drumming and dancing grew by leaps and bounds; my
knowledge of traditional Guinea culture, as its expressed in art and life, was
so much enlightened.
By the end of
the trip, I was able to hang with a complex drum solo taught by
Sekouba, Fadouba Oulare’s kinfolk in Faranah. By the end of the trip, I had
mastered a ton of marvelous choreography Ibrahima Souma taught we dancers. By
the end of the trip, I was a better artist and an even better dreamer. For I
had been touched in my soul so deeply, and touched many souls in the process.
Now, I am even more convinced that
African Dance is unlimited in its depth and power.
Now, I am even more certain that it's the courageous people behind this dance that make this practice so truly special and rewarding.
-- Malena Amusa
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