Welcome To The Ethnic Arts Network

DRUMSKULL DRUMS

(by Age Delbanco)

Three young drummers, Matt Hardwick, Ryan Bennett, and Kevin Walsh, have created a successful business, DrumSkull Drums, making some of the finest West African drums in the world, so that even African master drummers prefer to play their drums. I visit their beautiful shop at 105 Pioneer street to talk about how this came about and where it is going.

First I would like you to tell me how this all began.
(Matt) I was working for Arthur Hull at Westcliff Percussion for three years and after I left I wanted to continue doing drums, so I hooked up with my friend Derrick and started business in a little shack up in Aptos, up in the hills, but we realized that it was kind of out of the way for getting our supplies and materials, so we moved down to Aptos village. We worked about a year and a half together, but we had different ideas on business and split up from there.
I was getting ready for a festival in Seattle and had more work than I could handle and I had met Ryan in Oregon and he came down and helped me. The work was overwhelming, so I asked Ryan if he was interested in being my partner and we took it from there. We worked for a couple of years together and it went really well. Then I was going to Africa and Kevin was in town checking it out, and he and Ryan had already worked together on drums. There is a whole history there.
So you all had experience doing drums?
(Ryan) Yes, I went out to Colorado in 94 and worked with Healing Earth Drums making ceramic drums, and then with another guy, Michael Sullivan, making Ashiko drums. Kev came out and learned some stuff too. Then I moved to Oregon and started a little shop in a garage and that was about the same yime as I started to talk to Matt on the phone, trading some ropes and skins. Kev also came to Oregon and he and I build drums together in another shop space that someone lent out to us.
(Matt) When Ryan and I first started talking we thought that we had the same vision and really felt that we could complement each other in the work and in the business.
Tell me about the vision.
(Matt) The vision we always have had is basically just to have a successful drum business, and to be able to keep a certain quality in the music and in the drums, because we have been playing them for so many years. And because we have been playing them, we have been forced to keep our instruments sounding good, and we thought we wanted to offer that to other people as well.
So the quality is an important part of the vision.
(Matt) Yeah, I think that's where our niche has been, because there are so many out there who get involved in drum making and drum sales with just business in the front of their minds and if you have a lot of passion?(Ryan) Yeah, all three of us separately have always tried to make higher level instruments than anyone else I have ever seen. That? why we all connect really well, because we have the same concept of quality and the same need to continue to make it better and better. Every single day we are trying to make it better, and we all have the same drive as far as learning and studying the music. Sometimes it seems that we have a totally different take on it than most people out there. I don't know anybody else who puts as much care and time in actually trying to make a real professional instrument of a drum, and think about it as a real professional instrument, like a violin or a guitar. I can't think of anyone I have ever run into who makes drums like that, who isn't just putting them out rapid fire.
Kev came into play the first time Matt went to Africa. He was visiting out here to check out the shop and the work was too much for one person, so the three months that Matt was away Kev worked with me. In fact Kev and I always had a vision of having a drum shop together.
(Matt) When he expressed that to me, at first I was a little doubtful for that was the problem we had earlier on, me and Derrick, having a third partner. I was a little nervous about that, but then I had met Kevin and I realized that he was a great guy and the shop would be stronger with the three of us.
Where does the name DrumSkulls come from?
(Matt) That actually came from my dad. When I was thinking about a name I talked to him about it and he suggested DrumSkulls - kind of related to numskulls; it just came out of his mouth and I liked it.
(Kev) It's a good one, people don't forget it. It has some pretty cool connotations too, like a lot of history with the Grateful Dead. All of us started playing drums in Grateful Dead parking lots and probably got our biggest inspiration from that. Some people come in and relate the shells to skulls, like Brian always come in: you got some new skulls in here??And you are still developing?
(Matt) Yes, we are branching out in other directions, like supplying other drum makers with materials: cord is our big thing, cord, skins, shells.
(Ryan) Since the beginning everything we have had has been build from scratch, and we have always been on the line financially. We don? wholesale, we manufacture and we retail, straight out of here, so we are in a different niche than most businesses, and it is a really difficult one. You are kind of between two chairs.
(Ryan) Yeah, and we are trying to stay there. We want to stay a professional custom shop; we don? want to be drawn into the corporate reality, and we don? want to be poor the rest of our lives either. (laugh) So we have been trying to look at some ways of branching out into some kind of discount quantity sales on a small level, and still keep our integrity with everything, The rope is a line that we have designed ourselves. Also the sticks and bells, but I think we all agree that no one can make the djembe shells as well as the Africans. We try to make as much here with our own hands as we can, a lot of drum supplies and cases and covers and CDs and drum books, like Age Delbanco's - that's the best! The Book of West African Drumming. (laugh)
(Kev) One thing that does, it kind of relates to our vision which is that we love drumming and we love playing drums with people and we love seeing other people play and if we are able to sell supplies to drum makers, that are high quality supplies, that means there is going to be more drums out there - and the more drums the more drummers.
(Ryan) And just raising the quality of the instruments out there - and the consciousness of the music - that? a big thing. We put so much energy into just inspiring other people to want to play and take classes, in support of Abdoulaye (Diakite), and to get people to see the drumming from the perspective that it has a tradition. I mean it's fun for drum circles, and that is a great thing in its own, but also to relate to people that there is a much greater tradition out there. I think all of us have put so much energy into spreading that word through playing and through talking to people and also by offering instruments that really fit that bill. All these things are definitely part of our goal and always have been. Matt is the king of spreading the word about classes and Abdoulaye. You also sometimes arrange workshops?
(Matt) Yeah, we do as much as we can. We would love to do more, but it requires so much time and energy.
(Kev) We organize a workshop probably once or twice a year. That's a lot of work, you know.
(Ryan) We have also been part of Nyokobok, a performance group, for a long time, and sometimes we do school events with Cameron (Tummel) and Ibou (Ngom), little performances for the kids.
(Matt) hard, I mean, if anyone knew our reality on the financial level thenventory listed, and a news and events page where we can keep people updated about local classes as well as workshops and camps, and a links page where we can link to all the sites that we feel uphold the same things that we feel are true about the West African drum and dance world.
(Ryan) The web site has been huge and we are getting our name out; especially on the east coast, because we have had really good reputation on the west coast, mostly because we have traveled, people have seen the instruments and we have been able to play, people see our involvement with it, but we haven't been in the midwest or the east in a long time, so the web site has really been a good thing for just allowing people to see what we have, not being able to come down to the shop.
What is the name of the web site?
(Kev) It is www.drumskulldrums.com and the new site will be up in early February.
Have you more traveling plans?
(Kev) We've got a possible trip planned for February, Ryan and maybe Matt are going to Senegal and Mali for our yearly visit and definitely bringing the biggest shipment back we have ever brought.
So, what is the next question? The future?
(Matt) The future is ultimately that we continue to stay in business and supply people with quality instruments, and in our own lives to be able to support ourselves.
(Kev) There is also some other interesting things around tradition and change, that we are involved in. We feel like, you know how tradition is one of those words that are hard to define, but we feel that we try to hold as close to tradition as we can, while also being at the front level of innovation too, and that's pretty important, we are always changing, we always have a new style, or a new old style, of the way to head a djembe, whether it will be the three rings or the two rings, or hair over or wet shave, or whatever, and also around our dunun, we don't use the rings, we use the traditional weave, using modern products but the older style. So we try to stay in that niche but also to be innovative within that too. For instance we have the new style of djembe from Guinea.
Did you make them do these changes?
(Ryan) No, it's something they do, but we give them feed back and they change it and we give more feed back. Everything we do we do from the stance of being drummers, like everything that we have in our shop is things that we found useful for ourselves because we play. Sometimes we even do not make good financial decisions because we don't really care. Many people want us to make cheaper drums, but we can't stand it for our own integrity. Pretty much every single thing that we have has been tested by us as something really useful.
We believe in it to the T, it is some of the biggest difference between us and others that we don't put finances first; it's definitely what comes from our heart and really represents who we are and what we believe in.
What feed back do you get from the Africans?
(Ryan) Super good feed back.
(Kev) Abdoulaye loves our drums, he plays a drum from us exclusively. Every time Mamady (Keita) has seen the drums he really likes them, we get great feed back from him. When Tam Tam Manding was in town last time, guys that are top level students of Mamady came and bought drums from us. We are doing repairs for Kemoko Sano (former Director of Les Ballets Africains) like crazy.
(Matt) The Congolese community has encouraged us to make ngomas (Congolese drums) and that is something we probably would't have done if they hadn't been so persistently asking us to do it; for themselves even, not for the students.
(Ryan) If you want to mention some of the Africans who have brought their stuff to us: Abdoulaye, Karamba, Ibou, Mbor Faye, Malonga, Mamady Sano, Dressa, Bamoussa, Tonton.
(Kev) Another thing, you know, when we go to Africa we are always fixing drums for everybody over there, and they love it. Abdoulaye wants us to set up shop over there when he gets his compound finished.
(Ryan) Last time I was there I had one guy who said: I want to be your student for fixing the drum. Please you have to teach me how to fix a drum like that.
(Matt) I think another thing that we have going for us is the dynamic of us three working together; the way we complement each other. We couldn't have picked three people who work better together.
(Ryan) We are always really supportive of each others needs even though they are different.
(Kev) It makes us want to come in the morning, see our buddies, do some work.
And to wind it up, do you have any message for the community of drummers?
(Kev) Yeah, you get what you pay for (much laugh)
(Ryan) No, don't put that in there.
(Matt) No, I think just that we really encourage everybody to seek out a teacher in the community and support the community of drummers and dancers.
Or should I say, support your local drum makers?
(Ryan) Well, I think that if you start out with a good quality instrument, it can take you so much further in this music. I just don't have a lot of personal faith in most of the music stores that are offering West African instruments. If you start with something that is built by people that are involved in it, exclusively, an instrument that has that feel right off the bat, it's going to teach you, and you are going to want to play more, and it's going to take you that much further. I think that is really important.
I also want to say that ultimately what Abdoulaye has given us as a teacher is what continue to push us to do this. He is our biggest inspiration, in his view of the world and how the drum fits in, because it is not just a drum to play; he sees it on a spiritual level, of how that fits in with issues between people and how people communicate and race and all those things. A better way of looking at life in general. He has just shared so much with us, drumming wise and spirit wise.

MUSIC

ROOTS
MAMADY ADABA KOUROUMA: OROKO KAN (The Voice of Oroko)

This recording comes from the heartland of Malinke music in upper Guinea, Wadaba, home village Oroko, and it is performed mostly by his family. From the fist moment of twittering birds recorded in Famoudou court it is delightful listening. The sound is clear and well balanced and it totally evokes the village - you close your eyes and you are there!
To me the most important factor in music is the quality of the tone, the density and timbre of the tone. Just listen to these young women singing, and you will know what I mean. The instrumentation is simple enough: song, two djembes, three dununs and rattles, but the music is so rich because each instrument is singing. The drums are raging with pure energy, yet light and playful; no harshness at all. It is spiritual music, it is vital music.
I cannot chose one track over another, because they all have these qualities, but for me it is especially instructing to listen to some of the rhythms that we play often here in America, such as Konden, Djikan and Djaa. The speed is a challenge, but it brings out the true character of the rhythms. It is one reason it sounds so different from our rendition, and another one is the inspiring way the drums talk to each other. We could learn a lot from that.
Even if you are not a special fan of West African music this is one recording that every lover of music should have.
(Available at DrumSkull Drums)

FILM

ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF OUR TIMES
8 MILE with EMINEM

Eminem has a reputation for being homophobic and racist. If that stops you from seeing 8 Mile it is a pity. In this movie, where he plays Jimmy, a character pretty much like himself, he comes out being both sensitive and intelligent. There can be no doubt that he is talented. He is the kind of actor that doesn? seem to act, but just is. The scenes with his little sister show him tender and sweet.
Kim Basinger playing his mother ought to get an Oscar for best supporting actress, and Scott Silver one for best script. The story is played out in the wasteland of Detroit suburbs and it is tough for Jimmy as a young white rapper to excell in an art that has its roots in Africa and is the domain of African-Americans, but his great power is convincing, The millieu feels very real and the dialogue is humorous and ringing true. The supporting actors, especially his three friends who believe in him and support him, are poignant and often hilarious. The love story with Brittany Murphy is moving but unsentimental, and the ending, the final rap battle, is a totally satisfying climax.
Go se it!

EVENTS

DJEMBE AND DUNUN WORKSHOPS
with MAHIRI KEITA
at Healing Circles Yoga & Movement Center
Sat. Dec. 14th.
Djembe 1:30-3pm, dunun 3:30-5pm, mixed levels.
$15 per class or $25 for both.
Call 336 8171 for info.

THE MOTET is playing at the Catalyst Sat. Dec 14th. Extremely danceable!

RHYTHMIC FUSION presents two shows:
KITKA, a Women's Vocal Ensemble
at the First Congregational Church
900 High Street, Santa Cruz
sun. Dec. 8th at 7:30pm.
Doors open at 7pm.
Tickets $15.75 adv. and SCEAN members, $18 at door.

HABIB KOITE, Mali's maverick singer/songwriter, with BAMADA
at the Rio Theatre
Tues. Jan. 14th at 8pm.
Doors open at 7:30pm.
Tickets $24 adv. and SCEAN members, $26 at door.
Tickets for both events available at Streetlights Records, The Bookloft, and Artforms.
For info: www.rhythmicfusion.com/events/ or 427 5531

SCEAN will be sponsoring DANCE CLASSES Christmas Day and New Years Day from 12-1:30pm as usual. Location and teachers to be announced.

AFRO-CUBAN DANCE
Beginning Sun. Jan 26th, SUSANAH ARENAS PEDROSO, direct from Havana, will be teaching an ongoing class, both folkloristic and popular, with live music from 4 -5:30 at the Motoin Pacific studio A.

CALABASH AWARDS

AZIZA MEETS AZIZA
(A letter from the editor)

TONY and ANDREA KORANTENG are a dynamic couple. Tony has been less than a year in America and they have established his well attended dance class in Santa Cruz and also the performing group Aziza. But even before Tony came here he was director of the group Aziza in Accra in Ghana, and this summer he brought the two groups together in Ghana for a month long workshop in Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region 50 miles north of Accra.
We started with a performance in Accra. It blew our minds! So much talent and so many different spectacles: War dance, hunting dance, acrobats, beautiful costumes and lots of comic relief. It lasted till the sun had set. Then we were all bunched up in the bus and went off on the two to three hours ride to Koforidua. Each week we learnt a new dance with songs and drumming. We were very comfortably lodged in Two Streams Hotel. Outside the gate was a grassy meadow surrounded by trees where we danced in the morning, being the daily entertainment for a crowd of kids and grown ups with time on their hands. Here we were spied by the secretary of the local chief, who is really a king of the whole region, highly respected and still retaining some power. Tony asked to be given a piece of land to build a center where future workshops can be held. Naturally the king wanted to see what we are doing and we were invited to do a performance at the palace. We were first presented to the king and the request for land was mentioned, then we went down in the courtyard where everybody was waiting for the festivities to begin.
The king arrived under his baldachin preceded by six pages carrying the royal symbols. He was dressed in sumptuous kente cloth and had on his wrist a bracelet of gold, so heavy, that an attendant had to walk next to him and hold his arm up. Followed by his own band of drummers he walked up through the courtyard and mounted the dais where his throne was placed. A local group opened the performance. Soon some of the court ladies got up and began to dance and the queen joined them - the crowd heated up!
When Aziza came on there was great excitement. I think for most of them it was the first time seeing white people dancing and drumming their traditional music. The king must also have liked it for we were asked to do another performance for the lesser chiefs and furthermore the land was granted.
The month went too swiftly and we ended with a closing ceremony at the Art Centre in Accra where everyone of us students did a short solo dance. The audience really loved that and what we sometimes lacked in skill we gained in the freedom of sharing. I should add that our own Aziza dancers earned sincere admiration for their achievement.
After the workshop we went through a week of tribulations while we were trying to contact the owners of a house near Aziza's home base in Nungua, formerly a village, now a suburb of Accra. That made us appreciate how well organized the workshop had been. In the end we got through to the owners of the house and we moved in and established a new routine, training every morning with Aziza and getting private lessons later in the day.
One of the high points was the festival of the twins. It unfolded as a cross between Gay Pride Parade and Halloween. Different groups had each their own songs and music, and quite a few guys in drag. In front of each group a bunch was leading a person that was obviously possessed, and at times they were all rushing down the street. As more and more groups came they were running both ways and I once got caught in the middle, but immediately a boy in the one group grabbed my hand and dragged me into safety.
That was my overall experience: everybody was very protective, kind, and helpful.
One day I had waited a long time for a place in a minibus. Most of them were full and when one stopped with a few places, they were taken before I could get near. Next, a minibus was stuck in the traffic close by. I saw one person leave and I started running even before the ticket collector had called out: One place! I was hauled on board just as the traffic started rolling again and everybody on the bus were laughing and cheering.
When my time was up, it was with regret I left the Aziza family. We, the California branch, now want to bring the Ghanaians here to show their magic, and to enjoy this to them foreign place, just as we have enjoyed their lush and friendly homeland.
Tony and Andrea will be back early in November.

EVENTS

RHYTHMIC FUSION presents:

MAMAR KASSEY from Niger
Mon. Oct. 14 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center.
Doors open at 7pm, show at 7:30pm.
Tickets at Streetlights Records & Artform.

ALPHA YAYA DIALLO from Guinea
Fri. Nov. 15 at the Rio Theatre.
Doors open at 7:30pm, show at 8pm.
Tickets at Streetlights Records, Bookloft, & Artform.
For further info. call 427 5531.

LE BALLET NATIONAL DU SENEGAL returns with a new program, Kuuyamba, a sojourn into the sacred forest to celebrate the rites of passage from youth into adulthood. At the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley.
Wed. Oct. 9 at 8pm.
$20, $28, $36.

SALIF KEITA plays at the Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley
Fri. Nov. 1 at 8pm.
$20, $28, $36. COMHALTAS CEOLTOIRI EIREANN The Clifford Hoban Branch of CCE is giving Irish Celtic Dance every second Friday of the month( Oct. 11 & Nov. 8) at the Felton Community Hall, 6191 Highway 9. There will be dance instruction from 8-8:30pm and live music and dancing from 8:30-10pm. The fee is $10, children free accompanied by an adult. Beginners of all ages are most welcome; no partners necessary.
There is nothing like a lively Irish reel to lift away the cares of the week. For info call Janet Herman 429 1691 or visit: http://63.249.88.129/cce/

TAM TAM MANDINGUE
Dunun Workshops with Beth Dyer & Doug Kane
at the Healing Circles Yoga & Movement Center
6144 Highway 9 in Felton
Four Sundays 2-4pm: Oct. 20, Nov. 3, Nov. 24, DEC. 8.
For Djembe Classes see Ongoing Classes Schedule.

CALABASH AWARDS

The Calabash Awards is calling for volunteers to help plan the 2003 Calabash Awards set for March 2003.
A general meeting will take place Tues. Oct. 8 at 7pm at Surething Productions office, 740 Front Street #300B in the Galleria Building with the following agenda: nomination process / committee building for the 2003 awardees / general planning.

HOP-GO
HOP-GO eSport is an exiting blend of the Internet, Television, and a Live Interactive Game Show that promotes fun and quality entertainment, education and social responsibility while providing an opportunity to generate financial support for non-profit organizations.
HOP-GO first started in Europe and will be introduced to the U. S. on Oct. 20 at 3-6pm in the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Hosted by former Survivor Contestant LEX it will be a test run for HOP-GO and will be free to all participants. This is your chance to compete for the $10,000 prize, a portion of which you will be asked to contribute to your favorite non-profit organization.
Show what you know about different cultures, technology and the arts, and the history and ecosystems of our world. You chose your category and compete with others on local and global topics.
Please come early. Doors will open at 2pm and close at 2:50pm. There will be a pre-event video, great food, refreshments & live music including several well known Santa Cruz groups. Any questions? Call 457 1001.

MEMBERSHIP OF SCEAN

Since 1986 SCEAN has worked to spread the knowledge of ethnic arts and to support the ethnic artists. We are staffed entirely by volunteers and based on the support of the community. By becoming a member of SCEAN you can help us provide and maintain the following benefits that we offer to our members.

Individual Members (only $25 a year)
Reduced prices at SCEAN-sponsored events when applicable.
SCEAN's bimonthly newsletter listing classes and upcoming events and bringing interviews and articles concerning the ethnic arts.

Artist Members ($75 a year)
The same benefits as individual members and:
Insurance - a general 1 million dollar liability insurance coverage for venues. If you need insurance contact Halle 427 1490. Insurance is an additional $25 per year per location. Facility acquisition - access to non-profit rental rates at certain venues through out the county.

Grants sponsorship - non-profit sponsorship through SCEAN Umbrella for grants and donations. SCEAN collects a 5% fee for pass through funds.

Advertising - listing in the newsletter and on our website www.ethnicarts.org.

Bulk rate mailing - assistance in bulk mailing of notices and announcements. Over 200 pieces and certain restrictions apply.

Patron/Business Members ($100 a year)
The same benefits as individual members and:
Tax deduction and your name listed in the newsletter. (other benefits cannot be offered if donors are to receive legitimate tax deduction.)

Please use the registration form on the back page!

FIREDANCE Trance-Formance
Friday, August 23rd, 8 PM
Vet's Hall - Downtown Santa Cruz
The FIREDANCE Trance-Formance is an exciting night of inspired magic, drumming and dance. The participatory event is part drum and dance circle, part performance, part tribal rave/dance party. The event is open to the public and will be held at the Vet's Hall in downtown Santa Cruz on Friday, August 23rd, 8 PM.
Opening the Trance-Formance evening will be a special performance by world-class magician Jeff McBride, named Magician of the Year by Hollywood's Magic Castle. The NY Times writes: "McBride gives his audiences a mesmerizing performance, a magic show that is at once a celebration of mystery and a struggle to understand powerful forces." McBride regularly headlines at Caesar's Magical Empire at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.
The Trance-Formance event is produced with the intention of bringing some of the magical and musical energy that comes from around the country for the FIREDANCE Festival into the town and community of Santa Cruz.
Tickets to the FIREDANCE Trance-Formance event are $12 at the door, available for $9 in advance at the Rhythm Fusion store in downtown Santa Cruz. And please bring along a drum or rattle or other percussion instrument to the event and play along with the group!

West African Dance Workshop with Mabiba Baegne
Saturday, September 7
418 Project 11:30 am
Mabiba will be passing through Santa Cruz on her way to Hawaii. Don't miss this rare and special opportunity to study with Mabiba!!
For more info call 427-1490.

Dunun Village Equinox Gathering
Friday, September 20 - Monday, September 23
at Morning Star Ranch
For more info please contact:
Åge Delbanco at (831) 423-3624.

---An Interview with Marsea Marquis--------------
By Oriana Sanders

Marsea Marquis is a performer and teacher of Brazilian dance in Santa Cruz. She was honored at this year's Calabash Awards, where she performed with her dance company.

Q: So how did you become interested in Brazilian Dance and culture?
A: Well I was first introduced to ethnic drumming and dancing, ethnic meaning other cultural styles of drum and dance in Santa Cruz, in 1989 at the Louden Nelson Community Center when I walked into a room which was hosting a dance class lead by Marion Oliker, who was one of the original dance teachers here in Santa Cruz County. It was a class that had about ten live drummers on stage, and all these people dancing across the floor. I had never seen anything like that before, and I walked in and said,"this is it!" And I've been dancing in that room ever since.

Q: Have you spent some time in Brazil?
A: Yes I have, I was in Brazil twice. I was there both in `95 and again in `99. The last time I was there I participated in Rio De Janeiro Carnival with a Samba school in Rio called Mangueira, and also in Salvador with a famous recording artist, Margarethe Menezes. Both were quite incredible, unforgettable experiences.

Q: And while you were there were you exposed to some of the more spiritual aspects of the culture?
A: Well, you know, before I was introduced to Brazilian dance, I was quite involved with the Afro-Cuban tradition through singing and dancing. So in that religious, folkloric aspect of the traditional song and dance, I started studying the culture, and then when Brazil came my way through a teacher, I found that they were very similar, they have the same roots. So it transferred over really well. When I went to Brazil, of course I was definitely very anxious to connect to the culture and the religion. It was a very natural flow. I had been fortunate enough to meet some pretty influential people in the community of Salvador, Bahia who were the members and organizers for the group Olodum that had come from Brazil to tour the U.S. Olodum is one of the famous Afro-Blocos out of Brazil. They were brought to Santa Cruz twice by what was then known as the BCC, Brazilian Cultural Center, and our dance and drum community hosted them. I hosted the dancers, so I got to be very personal friends with them. When I went to Brazil, they took really good care of me. And of course, their families are in the religion. When you arrive in Salvador you are having a religious experience as soon as you step foot on the land. You sense it in the air, the smells, sound, food. Everything seems to be filled with the energy of Orixa.

Q: How long have you been teaching classes?
A: I've been teaching Brazilian dance for over ten years. Before that I taught both African inspired dance and Caribbean dance. I was introduced to Brazilian dance through a woman who came to town, just passing through, who I have actually kept a connection with and saw when I went to Rio in `99, and hosted a workshop for her here last summer. Her name is Lucia Cordeira and she came through just by word of mouth, got connected to our community, and did a workshop in 1990. I was just taken aback. I was not only taken aback by the music and the dance, but her personal energy, in particular, and how she dealt with people. It just felt so Brazilian, and I didn't even really know what that meant except that I knew that she touched me in a certain way. So then another woman came through the next year and started teaching ongoing classes. She became my teacher for a long period of time and I actually worked with her in her dance company. Her name is Conceicao Damasceno, and she taught here for about four years. So I worked with her and she really turned me on to a lot of things about the dance. She was a beautiful dancer from Salvador Bahia also, the same area that Olodum is from. So I got the opportunity to perform with her company for about three years, and worked really closely with her, and that was really where I got my start. Then when she left the area and decided not to travel down to Santa Cruz any more, I started to teach at that time. And that was over ten years ago.

Q: Do you have a performance group that you work with now?
A: Yes I do. I had a performance company for six years called Fusao. I left that company two years ago but it remains and is still performing. I now have a company that I'm working with that's in its beginning phases. Our first debut was the Calabash Awards. We're in rehearsal now and we actually have a launch date set more towards the holidays.

Q: Do you have some elaborate costumes that you perform in?
A: Well, Brazilian dance is kind of known for its pageantry, and I think that's where it got attention from, just how spectacular the costuming was for Carnival and how grand of a celebration it is. You know the costuming is so much a part of that celebration, so of course the costume is a big part of the performance. My venture that I'm going to do with this next company is more of a Latin review, so it's going to include Cuba, the Caribbean and Brazil, and anything else that falls in between those areas. We're going to do a Brazilian piece and it?s going to be full feathers and bikinis, Rio de Janeiro style.

Q: So, for beginners do you have anything that you would recommend, any specific kinds of movements or areas of the body to focus in on to really be able to get the hang Brazilian dance?
A: Well, my approach for dancing is that I tell people to try to listen more than think, because it's in the drum, and with a lot of the movement, really, the drum is playing it. So you listen and kind of connect in rhythmically. Try to let go of your brain and don't process the information through that part of yourself. Also my approach is to really sort of connect into the whole room, and how every body else is interpreting too, because you can learn so much from watching and opening yourself to admiring others. It's just a very big force of energy that you can tap into in as many ways as you can allow yourself to open up to. So I talk about that a lot because that's what dance did for me. It taught me about opening up, and about connecting. That was something that I was truly searching for, and it was so special to find it through such a creative expression as dancing, singing and drumming. What has happened for me is that dance class is not dance class, it is a ritual, the place where I go to share, connect and honor.

Q: Is there anything else that you would like to share with the community at large or people who would be reading the newsletter?
A: Just that it's been such an honor to evolve into what is known as a community leader through the dance. It is such a privilege to be able to give back what was given to me through finding cultural dance here in this town and being given the opportunity to become more connected to myself, and others, through dance and music as well as building community, getting to know and celebrate all of the people who dance through. Dance is a continuum. It is always evolving, like ourselves, and I too am but a student.
For booking: (831) 426-7563 or
marquis@cruzio.com

The richness of Ethnic Arts in Santa Cruz is made evident year after year by the top class show of the Calabash Award Winners. A short video presentation with glimpses from the two previous Award Shows clearly brought this home. Video and slides were also used to show the work of two painters, Elijah Pfotenhauer and Manuel Santana, and this seemed a definite improvement in the display of visual arts.

New this year was also theatrical presentation and the opening scene from Stephanie Golino?s No Hiding Place was engaging and powerful. For those who missed the show or want to refresh their memory go to A.T.& T. Broadband on channel 4 where it is still running. If your favorite Ethnic Artist has not yet been awarded you can make your voice heard by contacting the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, 7960 Soquel dr. Suite ?I?, Aptos, CA 95003, or e-mail: grants@ccscc.org

A TALK WITH HELENÉ

Helené is a professional International Dance Performer and Instructor who has been working in the U.S.A. and Europe for 15 years. She is also a SPECTRA Artist teaching Egyptian and Moroccan Folk Dance in schools through the Cultural Council. She is a Producer of Middle Eastern and North African Dance Events and Director of the Sisters of the Desert sky Dance Company. She was awarded this years Gail Rich Award celebrating local residents who have made a significant contribution to the arts.

You are not from here?
No, I have been living in Santa Cruz for twenty years but I am originally from Cambridge, England. I have been a dancer all my life; my first dance performance was when I was four, leading a group onto the stage to give a demonstration of Rudolph Steiner?s movement method. When I was seven my ballet career was cut short, as they told me I was too big. Instead I went on to do English Country Dancing. It was always my hope to have a career on stage, but I was convinced to take a more practical view on job finding and I followed our family tradition by training as a state registered nurse. Later I was living in the countryside doing organic farming, having animals, having horses, and traveling around with a horse and wagon, meeting and becoming friends with Romany Gypsies. Unfortunately that is not possible anymore. You can?t go with a horse and wagon and stop where you want, like in the old days, now they can actually seize your wagon and destroy it and charge you for it. So, things have changed a lot.

So, was it through the Romanies that you found your interest in Oriental dance ?
No, that was actually before, through my travels in the seventies to Europe and Asia. I was in Afghanistan before the wars. It was a magical place; the people were really kind and took care of us. I feel very grateful that I was able to go to places like that. Now it?s going to be years before it will be safe - and it will never be the same.

You also went to North Africa?
Yes, to study the dance. I went to Egypt and twice to Morocco. I am very interested in the Berber culture, and have a friend who is from Algeria, who has been here teaching, and she will be coming again in August, Amel Tafsout, and she teaches the authentic Berber Tribal Dances. Her husband, Salah Dawson-Miller, is a famous drummer from London, and I have been working with them there.

So, you have close contacts with Europe?
Yes, I go back to Europe every year. I am going to be dancing and teaching workshops at the biggest Arabic Dance Festival in London in May, so that?s exiting.

What is it that you love in Oriental dance?
Personally I found Oriental Dance to be wonderful in the way it allows for spontaneity and creativity, as well as the challenge of so many different dance styles. But for me it has first of all been healing, and I got involved with it when I moved here as a form of healing for myself. Coming from a really personal place, I found that is has been really good spiritually and emotionally and physically for me. Oriental Dance is very challenging for women and very gratifying. It can help you face some really big issues about your sexuality and who you are and how you feel about yourself. It can be so empowering to let the dance heal you in that way. It is very rewarding to see how other women benefit from it and see how they blossom through doing it, how they become more self confident and more beautiful, it?s just great!

How did you end up here?
I came to visit friends, and I met my husband the first night in Santa Cruz at the Catalyst. It?s a classic!

Is there anything you want to say to Santa Cruz?
There are so many talented people in this town, and I want to give a big thank you to all of the musicians and dance friends who have been so helpful and who are wonderful to work with, and also to thank the Ethnic Arts Network and the Cultural Council and the Santa Cruz Mountain Art Center for all their support and help. We are just so lucky in Santa Cruz. I feel very grateful to be here. Since September 11th I have felt even more strongly that my work is so important. As a teacher I can do my small part to help promote peace and understanding between us and the Arab World.

How do you feel about the life of Muslim women being so different from the life of women here?
Well, you cannot really generalize about Muslim women, can you? Their life varies so much from country to country. Or which type of woman, in the city or in the country. For instance the women that you met in Morocco, were they very segregated from the men? Well, they were not segregated, in the Mosque they were, and sometimes they sat separately. We went to have tea with this lady because my friend was teaching her English, so we were having a nice tea party with them, but as soon as it came out that I was a dancer, it was: ?Kick the men out and let?s have a party?. And they danced and they were fantastic dancers, but the men wouldn?t be there when they danced. So that?s a very particular difference, that we have the freedom here to dance any way we want, where we want and with whom we want. In Egypt you always have a dancer at a wedding. Still there is a kind of double standard; the top dancers are actually worshipped and honored, and yet some people would say: ?I wouldn?t want my daughter to be a professional dancer.? Nadia Hamdi, whom I took a workshop with in Egypt, said she had given up teaching because her son was at the university, and he was having a lot of problems from his peers being disrespectful because his mother was a professional dancer; so she decided she wasn?t going to teach. Now she comes here and teaches. It shows you with the rise of fundamentalism it?s becoming more restrictive, not actually forbidden, being whipped or anything, but social pressure. For example the Romanies in the villages, who would be the professional musicians and dancers, and have been for centuries, are now being sort of shamed, a social pressure against public performances by women. But you see, so much of it is different interpretation of Islamic law, because Mohammed was actually trying to help women and people who were enslaved, he was really out to help them and give them more safety and freedom. It has more to do with the men keeping the power, it is politics rather than the spiritual message of Islam, which is about peace. My friends who are Muslims, I really admire the way they live sincerely spiritual lives. You know, one of the pillars of Islam is to be kind and take care of people who are worse off than you. That?s part of your spiritual practice, so it is a very compassionate religion. Of course there has been so many conflicts with the different interpretations.

Belly Dance is very popular in this town.
Yes, this is a Mecca for Belly dancers. Actually Belly Dance is a misnomer, Oriental Dance is the solo dance form of the Arab world. In the Oriental Dance you have the wonderful opportunity of spontaneous self expression and in the Tribal styles you have the joy of dancing with other women, and you get that feeling of working together as a team. Eastern Dance is more than making a pretty picture, something aesthetically nice. In Egyptian Oriental dance, which is considered the best in the world, it?s about your connection with the music and the emotional expression of the music, how the music makes you feel and how you express that. The dancer is connecting with the musicians and with the audience so that you are experiencing something together emotionally, not just intellectually. I think that?s partly why I love it for I am an emotional kind of a person.

What are your plans for the immediate future?
On Saturday April 27th we have ?Imagine?, a benefit for Doctors without Borders at the Veterans Hall and on Saturday May 4th I am presenting an evening with ?Fat Chance Belly Dance? at the Pacific Cultural Center. In October I am hoping to bring a top Oriental Dancer from Minneapolis, called Cassandra.
Thank you very much. Can I have one last word to round it out? HELP AFGHANISTAN! It hurts me so much to know how they are suffering, so, please, don?t forget Afghanistan.

UPCOMING EVENTS

PAPIBA is giving a CAPOIERA BATIZADO at the Vet?s Hall for kids and beginners on Sunday April 14th at 1:30pm. His teacher, Mestre Ralil from Brazil, will be present as well as other masters and graduates from Brazil. It is suggested to give a donation at the door. For more info call 831 423 7536

REBEKAH presents the DANCERS' EXCHANGE MONTHLY WORKSHOPS.
Ma*Shuqa's Santa Cruz Workshops Sundays, April 14th and 28th 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. $40. For both days ($45. At the door) Cayuga Vault, 1100 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz.
For information contact Rebekah at (831) 479-4708 or e-mail Redbekah@hotmail.com

SAHAR'S MONTHLY RHYTHM & DANCE SERIES in Santa Cruz continues on Sundays: April 7, May 5, June 16. See ongoing class schedule.

Fat Chance Belly Dancers

IMAGINE FESTIVAL at the Vet?s Hall Saturday April 27 from 11am to 6pm. A benefit for Doctors Without Borders with entertainment, workshops, films, exhibits, crafts, childrens activities, and Middle Eastern Cuisine

HELENÉ presents FAT CHANCE BELLY DANCE, the award-winning American Tribal Belly Dance troupe, at the Pacific Cultural Center, Saturday May 4th at 7pm. Also featured are Raks Baraka, Cairoettes, Alyne Hazard, Jeanette, and Helené and the Sisters of the Desert Sky.
$15 at the door, seniors $10, children $8 - Refreshments will be served. For more info call 831 335 4567.

GUINEA CONFERENCE at Alice Arts Center in Oakland from May 8th to May 12th with Youssouf Koumbassa, Alseny Soumah, Karamba Dioubate, and many more. For more info call 510 645 1258.

SCEAN?s ANNUAL DANCE SAMPLER will take place at Motion Pacific Sunday May 19th from 10am to 5pm. There will be seven 45 minute dance classes: Hula, Flamenco, African, Salsa, Capoiera, Belly Dance, and Hip Hop.
This year SCEAN also presents a DRUM SAMPLER at the 418 Project Saturday May 18th from 1 to 6pm with five drum classes: African, Middle Eastern, Haïtian and more.
The price for one whole day of either dance or drumming is $10 - for SCEAN members only $5.
This is a chance to become a member and support the Ethnic Arts: for only $30 a whole day of dance or drumming plus a one year membership!

DUNUN VILLAGE, a gathering of aficionados of West African Dance and Drumming, will take place from May 24th - 27th at the Morningstar Ranch in Mendocino National Forest. A $10 donation is suggested, otherwise the gathering is free. For directions and other info call Åge at 423 3624 or e-mail yeshepalden@hotmail.com

Volume 17, Issue 1

BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Among Black woman writers Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) stands out. She was a folklorist, novelist, anthropologist, and celebrated daughter of the Harlem Renaissance. Between 1921 and the end of the fifties she published seven books - four novels, two books of folklore, and an autobiography - and more than fifty shorter works. In her later years and after her death she was virtually forgotten, until Alice Walker in 1975 published her moving essay ?In Search of Zora Neale Hurston?, where she recounts her attempts at finding Hurston?s unmarked grave in the Garden of Heavenly Rest, a segregated cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida.
From Hurston?s collection of Black American folk tales ?Mules and Men? comes this story of JACK AND THE DEVIL: Jack and de Devil wuz settin? down under a tree one day arguin? ?bout who was the strongest. De Devil got tired of talkin? and went and picked up a mule. Jack went and picked up the same mule. De Devil run to a great big old oak tree and pulled it up by the roots. Jack grabbed hold of one jus? as big and pulled it up. De Devil broke an anchor cable. Jack took it and broke it agin. So de Devil says, ?Shucks! Dis ain?t no sho ?nuff trial. Dis is chillun foolishness. Meet me out in dat hund?ed acre clearin? tomorrow mornin? at nine o?clock and we?ll see who kin throw mah hammer de furtherest. De one do dat is de strongest.? Jack says, ?Dat suits me.? So nex? mornin? de Devil wuz dere on time vid his hammer. It wuz bigger?n de white folks church house in Winter Park. A whole heap uh folks had done come out to see which one would win. Jack wuz late. He come gallopin? up on hawseback and reined in de hawse so short till he reared up his hind legs. Jack jumped off and says, ?Wese all heah, le?s go. Who goin? first?? De Devil tole ?im, ?Me. Everybody stand back and gimme room.? So he throwed de hammer and it went so high till it went clean outa sight. Devil tole ?em, ?Is Tuesday now. Y?all go home and come back Thursday mornin? at nine. It won?t fall till then.? Sho ?nuff de hammer fell on Thursday mornin? at nine o?clock and knocked out a hole big as Polk County. Dey lifted de hammer out de hole and leveled it and it wuz Jack?s time to throw. Jack took his time and walked ?round de hammer to de handle and took hold of it and throwed his head back and looked up at de sky. ?Look out, Rayfield! Move over, Gabriel! You better stand ?way back, Jesus! Ah?m fixin? to throw.? He meant Heaven. Devil run up to ?im, says, ?Hold on dere a minute! Don?t you throw mah damn hammer up dere! Ah left a whole lot uh mah tools up dere when dey put me out, and ah ain?t got ?em back yet. Don?t you throw mah hammer up dere!?

EVENTS

SPIRIT OF AFRICA
A Celebration of African Music and Dance, Saturday February 16th at the Louden Nelson Community Center, co-sponsored by KUSP 88.9, SCEAN and made possible by a grant from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz.
Featuring:
**From Senegal DOMU AFRICA and members of NYOKOBOK.
**From Ghana AZIZA MUSIC AND DANCE ENSEMBLE under the direction of Tony Nana
**Yaw Koranteng with special guests VILLAGE CULTURE Balaphone music from Ghana.
There will be two shows: at 2pm and at 8pm.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and SCEAN members. Kids under 12 free.
Tickets are available at Drumskull Drums
Phone 429 5766
105 Pioneer Str. Suite C,
Santa Cruz.

For more info call 427-1490 or 661-0737.

THE CALABASH AWARDS SHOW
The Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Ethnic Arts Network, and Ow Family Properties present a SHOWCASE HONORING EXCELLENCE IN THE ETHNIC ARTS on Sunday, March 10th at 7:30pm at the Cabrillo College Theater , 6500 Soquel Drive. Seven ethnic artists will receive their awards at a gala ceremony with celebrity presenters. Live performances by the award winners will include music, drumming, dance, spoken word and visual arts.
The 2002 Calabash Award winners are:
Guillermo "Yermo" Aranda with Watsonville White Hawk Dancers, Abdoulaye Diakite, Stephanie Golino, Marsea Marquis, Elijah Pfotenhauer, Manuel Santana, and Undang Sumarna.
Tickets are: Adults: $12 in advance, $15 at door. Students & Seniors: $8 in advance, $10 at door.
Tickets are available after February 15 at the Cultural Council office
7960 Soquel Dr., Suite "I", Aptos
688-5399 or 476-2313
and
Cabrillo College Box Office
479-6331
You may charge them by phone at either location
For further information, please call the Cultural Council at 688-5399.

BOOKS

A LIFE FOR THE DJEMBE by MAMADY KEITA
(written with Uschi Billmeier)
This book is a great resource for those interested in djembe music and culture, as it contains 60+ rhythms, easy-to-understand notation, background, and lots of wonderful information on Mama-dy, Guinea, the djembe, and the Guinean national ballets (dance troupes). There is an instruct-ional CD included with the book. This is the SECOND edition, which contains much-improved English as compared to the first version, as well as corrections in the text and some of the notation. The price is $35.
For more info: 336-8171 or djembe@baymoon.com .

THE BOOK OF WEST AFRICAN RHYTHMS
A revised & enlarged edition of The Book of West African Rhythms collected by Åge Delbanco is now available. It contains 74 rhythms, mostly from Guinea, all written in a simple and easy-to-read notation, with many breaks, variations and djembe solos.
The price is $20 at Drumskull Drums and Rhythm Fusion. It is also available direct from the publisher for $18. Send check or money order to
Åge Delbanco
326 Wilkes Circle
Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

MIDDLE EASTERN DANCE
A four hour Master Class with SUHAILA SALIMPOUR, one of the premier teachers, choreographers and performers of Middle Eastern Dance in the world, and one of the first dancers to develop a complete format for Belly Dance. You will be introduced to her technique as well as how to integrate dance movement with Middle Eastern Dance.
Sun. Feb. 24th at 1-5pm at Motion Pacific.
To sign up send $100 (SSSD Members $90) check or money order to:
Suhaila Productions
LLC Landscape Station
P O Box 8612
Berkeley, CA 94707
or call 510-387-9420.