Duante Nabi Fyall performs in the middle of a dance circle in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. He is a professor of West African dance at the University of California, San Diego. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)
Drumming and dancing filled the afternoon as a performing group brought a West African drum meditation to the Student Services Plaza on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Invited by the Social Justice Center, the Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective brought music and storytelling through dance to celebrate Black History Month at El Camino College.
Baba Fode Sissoko plays the drum on stilts in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Sissoko is a Djeli, a leader in West African religious ceremonies, and is originally from Sengal (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective members (from left) Baba Fode Sissoko, Aimee Wodobode, and Tanee Osborne perform in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The collective specializes in performing and teaching West African drumming and dance. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective member Ellie Howard III dances in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. The collective was invited to perform a West African drum meditation to celebrate Black History Month. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)
The performance was led by Baba Fode Sissoko, who is a a djeli, or a West African spiritual leader and performer, from Senegal.
The collective was founded by Daunte Nabi Fyall, who is also a lecturer of West African dance at the University of California, San Diego.
Aimee Wodobode, a part-time lecturer of West African dance and dances of the diaspora at California State University, Long Beach, danced and played instruments as part of the collective.
Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective founder Daunte Nabi Fyall teaches El Camino students and community members how to dance in front of the Communications building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Fyall taught students basic West African movements so they could participate in the final dance. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)
Other members of the collective include Tanee Osborne, a dundun drummer, and Elvie Howard III, a dancer and percussionist.
Beyond their performance, the collective members taught students about West African culture, emphasizing the importance of dance and drumming in West African religions.
Sissoko and Osborne invited students to learn basic drum patterns, while Fyall taught students simple dance steps.
Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective member Aimee Wodobode dances with a shaker in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Wodobode is a professor of West African Dance & Dance Diaspora at California State University, Long Beach. (Katie Gronenthal | the Union)Isataia Whitley,22, elementary teacher education major, plays the drums alongside Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective member Tanee Osborne in front of the Communications Building on Wednesday, Feb. 26. Students were invited to learn basic drum patterns alongside the collective. (Katie Gronenthal | The Union)
The event ended with students forming a dance circle while Fyall, Howard, and Wodobode performed solos in the center.
The Daansekou Cultural Arts Collective’s performance provided a vibrant and educational addition to the college’s Black History Month celebrations.
