Celebrating the return of spring, a vibrant dance and drum workshop with Zoë Solomons, Thomas Christen and MuSumBa Drummers. To book click here

OVERVIEW:

"Three divine beings took our worries away; they were Drum, Dance and Song."
(Amos Tutuola, Nigerian author) - Originally from Liberia, FANGA is a rhythm of blessing, connection, celebration and joy. ALAFIA in the Yoruba language means peace or goodwill. FANGA ALAFIA has been made popular worldwide by the late Nigerian master drummer Babatunde Olatunji.

WORKSHOP:

Workshops are Open Level from Beginner to Experienced.

DANCE: We will work with the rhythmic capacity of the whole body. Breaking down how each movement connects and contributes in rhythm. Reverently practicing the Fanga dance from West-Africa to inform our physicality in dialogue with the drum.

NB: We advise loose clothing, colourful wraps and scarves, barefoot or soft footwear.

DRUM: We will embody the Fanga rhythm with voice and simple movement; experiencing pulse, cycle, beat and off-beat. Expressing this with the drum, we explore how the different drum sounds produce a poly-rhythmic melody for the Fanga dance.

NB: Please, bring your own drum, or reserve one of ours when booking.

BIOGRAPHIES:

Zoe has been studying dances from the African diaspora for 20 years. She combines her knowledge from a professional contemporary dance career with 15 years teaching embodied movement in service of a deep, caring and playful workshop experience.

Thomas has been a student, teacher and performer of West-African music internationally for over 40 years. He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and educator with a lifelong passion pursuing rhythm as a natural path to creativity, harmony and balance.

To book click here