West African dance class at New School
BY STELLA PEISCH INDEPENDENT INTERN

In Guinea, West Africa, children dance the way kids in America play sports.

Classes are offered after school, competitions are frequent and the government recruits star dancers.

One of these exceptional dancers, Abdoulaye Sylla, began dancing at the age of five and joined the National Dance Company by the time he was 16 years old. After performing around the world for 20 years, he moved to Connecticut and settled there, teaching kindergarten through college students dancing and drumming.

He was encouraged to dance full time, but he refused, wanting to attend and complete school while continuing to dance and teach dance.

Sylla started drumming soon after he began dancing, as the kind of dance he does is communication between the dancer and the drummer. There are two types of drums used in the music - a jimbaye and a doum-doum, both drums are made from goat skin and hit with sticks to provide the energetic music for dancers.

His dance is specific to his homeland region of Guinea, and there are different varieties of dance, depending on each section of the country.

There are also dances for different occasions, such as for weddings, rites of passage and spiritual gatherings.

Guinea, a former French colony, was the first country in Africa to achieve independence. At the beginning of the first president's term, he was very interested in encouraging the West African youth to take part in after-school dance classes and competitions, which is how Sylla first started dancing.

Abdoulaya Sylla will be visiting Nantucket on Saturday, August 16, for a one-day workshop fundraiser for the New School. His classes are conducted in a specific order. Drumming will also be taught and those attending the class on Saturday are encouraged to bring any kind of drums they own.

All ages are welcome at the workshop as well as all levels of experience in dance and drumming. I