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West African
Drum and Dance

Troupe Da-Da African Dance and Drum Ensemble will take the children on a journey through West Africa. We will visit Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and more.

Pennsylvania Curriculum Standards

(A=Assembly; W=Workshop; R=Residency)

9.1 Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts A, W, R

9.2 Historical and Cultural Contexts A, W, R

10.5 Concepts, Principles and Strategies of Movement W, R

15.4 Learning Through Experience A, W, R

25.3 Pro-Social Relationships with Adults W, R

25.4 Pro-Social Relationships with Peers W, R

Art Form(s): Music, Dance, Spoken Word/Literary Arts

Genre: African/African-American

Instrument(s):

  • Aerophone/ Membranophone: Voice

  • Membranophones: Djembe, Doundoun, Sangban, Kenkeni

  • Idiophones: Gankogui Bells, Kenken Bells, Wooden Sticks, Shekere, Axatse

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“Little Ones” programming
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Video Residency Available
Assembly, Workshop, and Residency Offerings
Assembly
Workshop
Residency

West African Drum and Dance Assembly

​Troupe Da-Da African Dance and Drum Ensemble will take the children on a journey through West Africa. We will visit Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and more. Accompanied by our percussionists we will learn how to communicate with the drum by learning the Call known as the Break which will guide us through our dance. This call will tell us when to start, stop and change to the next movement. At this time we will learn the steps to the dance that coincide with the region in which our dance comes from. Next we will organize the steps to compile a dance. We will also learn the song that goes with the particular dance. At the end of the residency the children will perform the dance we have learned.


Best for: ELC  •  PreK-12  •  Special Needs  •  After-School/Community

 

West African Drum and Dance Workshop

Troupe Da-Da African Dance and Drum Ensemble will take the children on a journey through West Africa. We will visit Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and more. Accompanied by our percussionists we will learn how to communicate with the drum by learning the Call known as the Break which will guide us through our dance. This call will tell us when to start, stop and change to the next movement. At this time we will learn the steps to the dance that coincide with the region in which our dance comes from. Next we will organize the steps to compile a dance. We will also learn the song that goes with the particular dance. At the end of the residency the children will perform the dance we have learned.

Best for: ELC  •  PreK-12  •  Special Needs  •  After-School/Community

 

West African Drum and Dance Residency

Troupe Dada's residency program opens with an assembly performance that will take the children on a journey through West Africa. The program continues with a series of workshops where students will first learn the name of the dance and what part of Africa the dance comes from. Next comes the introduction to the drum and we’ll learn the call that comes from the drum called "the break" which tells us when to start, stop and change the next movement giving the dancer the ability to navigate through the dance.  Next we will learn the dance steps that are associated with the dance that we are learning. Once we finish learning our steps, we will then put the steps together to make a wonderful dance. After forming our dance we will learn the song that goes with the dance. We will then rehearse until it becomes a beautiful work of art. At the end of our residency we will present our finish product in a culminating assembly program.


Best for: ELC  •  PreK-12  •  Special Needs  •  After-School/Community

About the Artist

Featuring: Troupe Da Da African Dance and Drum Ensemble

Troupe Da Da African Dance and Drum Ensemble was Founded by Renee 'Oyin' Hardy in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 2002. Troupe Da Da ‘s repertoire includes a variety of traditional West African and Afro-Cuban dances. Dressed in colorful, authentic costumes and singing in traditional African languages, the dancers of Troupe Da-Da move gracefully to the powerful rhythms of the Djembe & Dundun, drums from Guinea West Africa, and the Conga & Bata drums of Cuba. Troupe Da-Da also plays a number of African percussion instruments such as the Log Drums from Ginuea, West Africa , the Talking drum from Nigeria, and the Sekere (hand drum) also played in West Africa and Cuba. The mission of Troupe Da-Da is to represent traditional West African and Cuban culture at the highest level of artistic excellence through the preservation and presentation of Traditional dancing as well as masquerade, music and storytelling. We seek to expand the cultural awareness of African contributions to the arts through educational programs and performances that highlight the social and ritualistic customs of the people of the African Diaspora.

Joined Musicopia: 2017

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