April Greetings

As we hope many of you have seen, Namory Keita has now had three online drum classes through FB Live (on our Seacoast West African Dance and Drum FB Group and this week he added in Instagram Live through his own account, too! He’ll be on every Thursday from 6-7 PM EDT until further notice. We know it’s a far cry from being together, but it’s what we can do right now! (Classes are at an intermediate-advanced level – follow along where you can, and don’t worry about what you miss.)

Namory is offering these Thursday night classes by donation. You’re welcome to contribute to him on a sliding scale – whatever you’re able – from $0 to $20. PayPal direct to Namory or CashApp or Venmo to Liz. To get our user names, you send an email to Liz seacoastdanceanddrum@gmail.com

Namory is also available to repair drums or tighten up the ropes for folks who are local. Reach out to Namory or Liz if you’re interested!

If you have a good internet connection, there are many ways to stay connected to lots of drum and dance right now. Here are a few things. Feel free to share more ideas with us!

Drum and dance classes

Dance with Marita Kennedy-Castro of Portland, ME Embody the Rhythm Tuesday evenings and Friday mornings via Zoom

Running list of African drum and dance classes from many different timezones and on many different platforms

List of many styles of dance offered online around the US: Dancing Alone Together

Our friend Sayon Camara is going to begin online classes soon. And you can find Theo Martey on his Facebook sharing some drumming as well.

Performances

There are numerous performances being offered online right now, too. Here are some that may be of particular interest.

Alvin Ailey is sharing various pieces of their repertory free online through their Ailey YouTube Channel

The Joyce Theatre is streaming Ronald K Brown Evidence Dance “Grace” through Monday April 6. Check out Evidence Dance Instagram for more.

TedTalk with Camille A Brown on the history of social dance.

These lists aren’t exhaustive – so be sure to reach out if you’ve found some other drum or dance online to sustain you at this time.