|
|
Go directly to: The Alliance Congratulates Mestranda Márcia Treidler! Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley—Take the California Cultural Census! Last Chance to Chip In for the Alliance's New Video Camera Proceeds from the license plate sales will benefit the California Arts Council (CAC) To subscribe to the weekly CAC update, please visit their website. |
WHAT'S NEWSubscribe to The New Moon, ACTA's Monthly E-Newsletter. See the latest edition of The New Moon. Camp Fareta 2007 and an Apprenticeship in Guinean Dance
Camp Fareta Founder Youssouf Koumbassa. Editor’s Note: Joti Singh, a current participant in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program with master dancer Alseny Soumah, made time this summer to attend part of Camp Fareta 2007, held in Dunlap, California, in July. (Camp Fareta was supported in part by ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program.) Joti reflects on her experiences there as an extension of and complement to her apprenticeship this year with Soumah. For enthusiasts of West African dance, the second annual Camp Fareta, held at Camp Hye Sierra nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and founded by New York-based Guinean dance master Youssouf Koumbassa, is the ultimate adventure. For seven days, nineteen of the most talented U.S.-based artists from Guinea, Senegal, and Mali gathered in an idyllic setting not far from Yosemite National Park to instruct students in dance and drum. Fareta means “City of Dance” in the Susu and Baga languages of Guinea. This is certainly an accurate name for the camp. Because of the camp format and the isolated location, the activities are based solely on practicing and sharing the dances and rhythms of West Africa. Debbie Steingesser of San Francisco describes, “The service bars on my cell phone decreased as I drove up the mountain leading towards Camp Fareta. When I arrived at my final destination, 4,000 feet above reality in a pasture of redwoods, my spirit perked up as my cell phone died. I was free from the countless distractions of dance classes in the city. Traffic, cell phone ringers, BART delays, and evening work meetings dissolved into distant memories. My mind grew wide open in anticipation of the powerful, uninterrupted experience ahead.” Camp Fareta provides an intensive environment, while effacing the mundane distractions we normally face in the places where we live. A typical day at Camp Fareta begins with breakfast. After breakfast, there are two drum classes – one for beginners and one for advanced students. My first day at camp I heft a sanban to the lesson. A sanban is a two-headed drum – one side is played with a stick; the drummer plays a cowbell with the other hand. Oakland-resident Amadou Camara, former drummer for Ballet Djoliba, one of Guinea’s national dance companies, gives the lesson. He is patient, kind and informative. Although I am a dancer, my teachers often express the importance of learning to drum. Each rhythm is distinct from the next and has its own steps. A dancer must truly understand the intricacies of each rhythm to become an expert. Because Alseny Soumah, my master teacher, is training me to become a teacher, familiarizing myself intimately with the rhythms is absolutely necessary.
Camp Fareta participant and current apprentice in There are two dance classes offered this morning – one Guinean dance class by Moustapha Bangoura who resides in Chicago, Illinois, and a Senegalese sabar class by Babacar M’baye who lives in New York. It’s a difficult choice, but I opt to take Moustapha’s class. I’m still a little frightened by sabar because, despite Senegal’s proximity to Guinea, sabar is a style completely different from what I am familiar with. (Although I will find out later in the week that Babacar M’Baye is an excellent teacher who makes sabar anything but frightening.) Moustapha danced and drummed with Les Ballets Africains, the legendary national dance company of Guinea, for over 20 years. He is thorough, strong, and graceful. His students love him for his style, sense of humor and also his exhaustive knowledge of the history of Guinean dance. He teaches us Kakilambe and Soli. Moustapha explains that Kakilambe is a dance from the Baga ethnic people of Guinea. Kakilambe is something like a spirit, who is very tall and with a beaked nose like a bird. Kakilambe is in fact a Susu word. (Susu is another ethnic group in Guinea and also the name of a language.) The word refers to something very tall, and the original Baga word is Manchonnapole. Baga is a difficult language for people from the Susu ethnic group, so instead of Manchonnapole the Susu people called this spirit Kakilambe. Kakilambe visits once a year and this visit provides the people their chance to ask for something they truly need. For example, women may ask to become pregnant, men may ask for more work to become prosperous. People wear clothes made from trees and bushes when Kakilambe comes to visit. They humble themselves before this powerful being. After lunch is dance class with Abdoulaye Sylla, also a former member of Les Ballets Africains, currently living in Connecticut and teaching at Trinity College. Abdoulaye teaches us Tomanka, also called Liberté, since it is a freedom dance, and Soko. Tomanka is a relatively new dance that was created on an island off the coast of Guinea’s capital, Conakry, at the time of independence from France in 1958. As amazing as these dance teachers are, the success of their classes depends on the drumming. The drumming is unparalleled. Sometimes it’s a Fode Bangoura-Mangue Sylla djembe-dunun combination. Djembes are drums played by hand and involve a good deal of soloing, while dununs are played with sticks and provide the foundation for the rhythm. Fode Bangoura and Mangue Sylla are both members of the group Les Merveilles de Guineé, a group founded by the late Mohammed Kemoko Sano, artistic sirector of Les Ballets Africains for thirteen years and a mentor to every Guinean artist present at Camp Fareta. Sometimes Bolokada Conde graces us by slapping the djembe with his magical hands. Bolokada was a premier soloist for Les Percussions de Guineé and recently received his Green Card as an “Alien of Exceptional Ability,” a rare and honorable designation by the U.S. government. Being in the presence of so many talented artists at the same time, I am close to tears. There’s another drum class after Abdoulaye’s dance class. Mangue Sylla faces the challenge of engaging both beginners and advanced students alike. No problem. His compositions are complex, but he breaks them down so the beginners can follow. Although he covers his ears every once in a while to protect himself from the cacophony, we finally manage to play something close to pleasant. Mangue is pleased. Finally, there’s a dance class by Youssouf Koumbassa to close out the day. He is one of the most graceful dancers I have ever seen in my life. Sometimes I forget I’m supposed to be imitating his movement, because I’m so lost in watching him dance. Today he teaches Yankadi/Macru and Kania Soli. Youssouf explains that Yankadi/Macru is a dance done at the full moon by amorous youth. They will put on their finest clothes and try to impress the objects of their affections. “You don’t put on your everyday clothes,” Youssouf explains. “You have to look nice. It’s like a Guinean night club.” Youssouf’s movements are mesmerizing, and his choreography is so intricate and innovative. Whenever he comes to the Bay Area, I see people I haven’t seen in months because everyone makes it to his class. He could teach class at 6:30 am and everyone would still show up for it. He’s a rock star.
Camp Fareta instructor and current master artist in Even though I’ve just danced three classes and taken two drum classes, I don’t feel tired. My apprenticeship with Alseny has certainly increased my stamina, as a lot more is demanded of me when I’m the only one in the class. Also, Alseny is a powerful dancer, always pushing me as far as I can go and farther. When Youssouf quizzes us on the names of the dances after class, I feel prepared. Alseny has taught me well, and I have done my homework. Unfortunately, I’ve arrived at camp after Alseny has already left. When I get back to the Bay Area, though, Alseny will be pleased with the progress I’ve made in just a few days. I will ask him to explain to me further the stories behind the dances I’ve learned. When I ask him how he enjoyed the camp and being with his friends and fellow artists, Alseny tells me, “Camp was good and really fun. All the teachers were great, the students were nice, the food was good. I loved to be there. The second I arrived, I was having fun. If I had a lot of money, I would support the camp myself. It brought people together from all over the world.” He continues, “It’s always great to see my Guinea people, we’ve known each other all our lives. Now that we’re in America, we don’t see each other all the time. It’s good to see each other. We support each other’s classes.” Perhaps at next year’s camp, Alseny and I can perform what we have been working on together! One of the most fruitful and unique events at Camp Fareta is the nightly bonfire. We are free to ask any questions we have of our teachers – the meanings behind the dances, their favorite rhythms, details about their lives and about West African culture. Because of my apprenticeship with Alseny, I am fortunate to access his depth of knowledge on these subjects on a regular basis. It is interesting, though, to see the different nuances in the teachers’ areas of expertise. Youssouf is Landuma, an ethnic group in Guinea, and therefore, for example, he can speak at length on the rhythm Tiriba, which comes from the Landuma people. Djeneba Sako is the sole dance teacher at Camp Fareta who comes from Mali. She helps us to understand the distinctions between the rhythms from Guinea that we are familiar with and the rhythms she teaches from Mali. Youssouf explains the importance of the camp, “I want to show people African things… I like to teach people, to make people come together… to show them what we know from Africa… That’s why we want the camp, for people to learn more, ask more questions, have more time.” We’ve made the trip to this remote location, some folks from as far away as Japan and Australia, to support our teachers, ourselves, and each other, by sharing in days of dancing and drumming. A fellow Bay Area dancer, Lorena Valenzuela, says, “Camp Fareta is the best camp I’ve been to in my life. It was a life-changing, powerful experience filled with beautiful, talented, and breathtaking people that show rhythm, feeling, and motion through dancing and drumming. I feel blessed and thankful to be exposed to this type of scene rooted in West African culture in all its forms.” To have this caliber of artists at Camp Fareta, all in the same place at the same time, is a rare and wonderful experience. I am in tears when it’s time to leave. But I will be back next year, insh’allah! Camp Fareta featured the following instructors in dance and drum: Dancers:
Drummers:
The Alliance Congratulates Mestranda Márcia Treidler!Earlier this month, KQED, Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo honored and recognized Mestranda Márcia Treidler with a Latino Heritage 2007 Local Hero Award. Mestranda Márcia Treidler is the founder and artistic director of ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco, a former grantee in ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program. A 25-year veteran student of Mestre Camisa and one of the first women in the capoeira world to earn the title of Mestranda, Márcia founded ABADÁ-Capoeria San Francisco in 1991 when she was a recent immigrant from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco was established to expand capoeira outside of Brazil and is dedicated to preserving, developing, and sharing the art with integrity, using capoeira as a vehicle to improve and enrich disadvantaged communities and the lives of people from all backgrounds. To read more about Mestranda Márcia’s recent award, please visit KQED’s website. To learn more about ABADÁ-Capoeria San Francisco, please visit their website. Inland Empire and San Joaquin Valley—Take the California Cultural Census!
The California Cultural Census is a public survey that explores the types of arts and cultural activities that people like to do. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the survey, you may enter yourself into a drawing to win a $500 cash prize. The survey is available both online and in paper format, and in both Spanish and English. To take the survey online, visit their website. To request a paper version of the survey, email Shannon Hunter, Census Coordinator, or call (559) 237-9811. It is important that the results of the survey reflect the richness and diversity of your community. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this invitation to participate in the California Cultural Census to your network of friends and colleagues in the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire. Chip In Goal Reached for the Alliance’s New Video Camera!The Alliance for California Traditional Arts is extremely grateful to all the donors who helped us reach our ChipIn.com goal for a new video camera! We are looking forward to sharing great video footage with you in the near future! Thank you, |
