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Drum Fusion Contributing Musicians
Aboubacar Kouyate was born in Aboubacar began his dejembe training in In 1998,
Aboubacar, along with other members of Merveilles, was asked
to perform in In 2005, he relocated to
Anna Chistmas has been dancing for 20 years. She has studied with Nzingha
Camara,
Koca Sale Dioubate, Kemoko Sano and other masters of many forms of dance
and music . Anna is also a member of Kouman Kele, Africabok and L'Esprit
d'Afrique dance companies.
Dirk
Barkermeijer de Wit is a Professional Sound & Energy
Healer, Performing Artist and Producer. Dirk conducts a variety of performances and demonstrations and plays an ancient wind instrument called the Didgeridoo,
the first man made musical instrument on Earth, well-known for its deep resonate frequencies and healing properties.
He is also the inovator of Sonic Resonance Therapy technology and related products that are pioneering new advancement in sound and energy medicine. Visit Dirk on the web at www.didgwizard.com.
The first time Candy Eaton picked up a drum she felt a connection between herself and the forces that unites each of us to the rhythms of the universe- She had tapped into the heartbeat of the Great Mother. In that single, exquisite moment, she knew she had discovered her artistic passion- and from then on she has been inspired and possessed by the irresistible spirit and energy of the drum. Since then, Candy has dedicated herself to encouraging others to express themselves through drumming. For the last several years she has been interviewed on radio programs, performed at numerous festivals, drum circles and cultural events, as well as frequently taught at workshops and university classes. Candy’s classes and workshops are always fun and dynamic and she makes it her highest priority to be sensitive to each student’s needs. Candy also is one of the founding members of the drum and belly dance troupe, Akasha. The troupe characterizes her commitment to the revival and preservation of the woman drummer-to her overwhelming desire to share with other women the confidence and freedom that drumming has given to her. A great drummer once said, “The power of intent transports your drumming experience out of the mundane and into a sacred experience. Intention is your consciousness directing through the beat toward a valuable outcome, like a sound arrow towards a target.” For many, drumming is spiritually and emotionally therapeutic and can be the catalyst for personal and communal transformation. For Candy, drumming is a healing tool that connects her to nature and all things sacred, and it is her honor and privilege to share this blessed experience. Visit Candy at www.myspace.com/candyeatondrumgoddess
This Florida native, Emeka Simmons, began his dance career in 1999 on the campus of
UCLA. The UCLA African Arts Ensemble's west African dance troupe JOOBA,
was the genesis of a his dance performance career. He fell in love
with performing and African dance and drumming arts. In doing so, he
began a journey that followed the west and central Africans across the
Atlantic to the new world; first stop, Cuba. Omo Ashe, an Afro-Cuban
performance Ensemble brought Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin culture to
the center of his artistic focus from 1999-2001. In 2001 he was asked
to join N'zingha Camara's west African dance company Le Ballet Kouman
Kele, which he is still a principal dancer for. Continuing the journey
further into African diasporic arts brought Emeka to Capoeira de
Angola where he studied and performed with Pastina's Garden of
Capoeira de Angola from 2000-2002. Finding Afro-Brazilian culture
fascinating, he studied and performed with two Brazilian dance
companies Viver Brazil in 2003 and Ballet Folklorico do Brazil in
2004. Emeka now is a principal dancer with Contra Tiempo and is the
founder and director of L'Espirit d'Afrique a Pan-African performance art ensemble.
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