Saturday, November 21st 2009 USU Bioneers - Kuku & Sorsonet KSM Drum-off
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West African Drumming |
Saturday, March 21st 2009 Matinee performance Evening performance
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Travis and Jennifer Sapp |
USU Diversity Days performance 11/21/2008 Cassagbe Feb. 3rd |
Ryan Russell, Ali Sugerman, Jake Gibson, Travis Sapp, Jennifer Sapp and Chase Griswold |
article by Dave Sweeney, Herald Jounal News Sunday, March 21, 2010 It’s probably safe to say that students of West African dance at Utah State University have the most authentic experience of any dancers in the valley. There is no CD player here. Instead, a group of djembe players sets the rhythm for every class. Instructor Jaynan Chancellor calls it a “symbiotic relationship.” “Drummers drum because dancers dance and vice versa,” she says. And, she continues, she’s not sure who gets the better workout. The one-and-a-half hour class starts at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays in HPER room 215. Both students and non-students can participate. Cost for students is tuition plus a $90 fee; non-students pay $100. For Chancellor, dance instruction reflects the tradition of African oral history. “To me, African dance is kind of like telling a story,” she says. “Someone tells you a story, and when you retell it, it will vary, losing some characteristics and gaining others from the previous telling.” She says she teaches each dance the way she feels it but allows students freedom for interpretation. That informal approach, she says, is perfect for those taking their first dance class. “Each member of the class will imbue the movement with their own style.” But the class isn’t always easy. Like learning a language, it’s an immersive experience. Instead of giving a lot of one-on-one instruction, Chancellor says it’s more “do as I do” — she models a movement for the students, who then mimick her while marching in a sort of grid. “Every class is new,” says student Tammy Zeitlin, and keeping up is “as much a mental exercise as a physical exercise.” Last Tuesday, students learned Kuku, a dance of thanks for bountiful blessings. In many West African villages, protein is a rare commodity, and Kuku celebrates a successful hunting or fishing expedition. Dance movements also reflect the African landscape and climate. The rapid footwork, specifically, has its roots in picking bare feet up off the scorching African earth. Mostly, says Chancellor, she wants the students to get a good workout and have fun. Zeitlin agrees: “If you’re working out and it’s fun, you’ll want to keep doing it.” |
Travis Sapp, Ryan Russell
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