Explorations in afro-cuban dance and drum

The annual Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance & Drum workshops are hosted by the Humboldt State University

Humboldt State University

Humboldt State University is the northernmost campus of the California State University system, located in Arcata within Humboldt County, California, USA. The main campus, nestled at the edge of a coast redwood forest, is situated on Preston hill overlooking Arcata and with commanding views of...

Office of Extended Education in Arcata, California

Arcata, California

-Demographics:-2010 Census data:The 2010 United States Census reported that Arcata had a population of 17,231. The population density was 1,567.4 people per square mile...

. Internationally recognized masters join local faculty to teach students Afro-Cuban

Afro-Cuban

The term Afro-Cuban refers to Cubans of Sub Saharan African ancestry, and to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community...

folkloric song, dance, and percussion.

Since 1996 local music teacher/musician Howie Kaufman has led Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum, a workshop series at HSU that brings teachers and students from far and wide. Passion for the clave rhythm led some seriously dedicated Humboldters to find ways around the U.S. blockade (United States embargo against Cuba
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...

) of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

island and bring Cuban music and musicians here—Doran (2011).

Curriculum

Song classes occur in the evenings. There are three levels of dance instruction, and five levels of percussion instruction offered during the day. The daily schedule is arranged to maximize exposure to these three components of Afro-Cuban folklore. As Latin Beat Magazine reports, "Classes are progressive and cumulative. Thus, participants are encouraged to attend the entire program."

Special classes and lecture/demonstrations include "Cross-Rhythm (cross-beat

Cross-beat

In music, a cross-beat or cross-rhythm is a form of polyrhythm.Cross-rhythm. A rhythm in which the regular pattern of accents of the prevailing meter is contradicted by a conflicting pattern and not merely a momentary displacement that leaves the prevailing meter fundamentally unchallenged.—New...

): The Underlying Structure of Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum," "Comparing the African and Cuban Bata Drums," "The Clave

Clave

The term clave may refer to* Clave , a rhythmic pattern found in some Afro-Cuban Music* Claves, a percussion instrument* Clave , a free weekly newspaper in Santo Domingo* Clavé, a village in France...

Matrix," "Haitiano History and Styles," "La Rumba

Rumba

Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no...

Cubana: 150 Years of Identity and Resistance," and "Swing (jazz performance style)

Swing (jazz performance style)

In jazz and related musical styles, the term swing is used to describe the sense of propulsive rhythmic "feel" or "groove" created by the musical interaction between the performers, especially when the music creates a "visceral response" such as feet-tapping or head-nodding...

: The Elusive Feel."

Faculty

Each year the Humboldt State campus hosts the largest assemblage of Afro-Cuban folkloric dance and drum masters in the United States. Faculty members have included: Francisco Aguabella

Francisco Aguabella

Francisco Aguabella was an Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist whose career began in the 1950s.-Biography:Aguabella was born in Matanzas, Cuba. In the 1950s, he left Cuba to perform with Katherine Dunham in the Shelley Winters film Mambo filmed in Italy...

, Carlos Aldama, Jesus Alfonso, Susana Arenas, Erick Barberia, Jose Francisco Barroso, Miguel Bernal, Toto Berriel, Roberto Borrell, Juan Brown, Luis Cepeda "Chichito," Jesus Diaz, Roman Diaz, Sonyalsi Feldman, Lazaro Galarraga, Gary Greenberg, Reynaldo Gonzalez, Alison Hong, Regino Jimenez, Howard Kaufman, Rogelio Kindelan, C.K. Ladzekpo, Mark Lamson, Silfredo La O Vico, Freila Merencio, Harold Muniz, Santiago Nani, David Penalosa, Ana Perez, Sandy Perez, Teresita Perez, Jose Cheo Rojas, John Santos, Michael Spiro, Chris Walker, and Scott Wardinsky.

Song

Song instruction includes the Lucumi and Iyesa (Santería

Santería

Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin influenced by Roman Catholic Christianity, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi....

), Arara

Arará

Arará is a minority group in Cuba , Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean who descend from Fon, Ewe, Popo, Mahi and other ethnic groups in Dahomey...

, Palo (religion)

Palo (religion)

Palo, or Las Reglas de Congo are a group of closely related religions or denominations, which developed in the Spanish colonies of the Caribbean amongst Central African slaves of mostly Bantu ancestry...

, and rumba

Rumba

traditions.

Dance

Styles of dance include Santería

Santería

, Arara

Arará

Arará is a minority group in Cuba , Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean who descend from Fon, Ewe, Popo, Mahi and other ethnic groups in Dahomey...

, Palo (religion)

Palo (religion)

, and rumba

Rumba

, in both the Havana

Havana

Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...

and Matanzas

Matanzas

Matanzas is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. It is famed for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore.It is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas , east of the capital Havana and west of the resort town of Varadero.Matanzas is called the...

styles, as well as "Haitiano" genres, and salsa (dance)

Salsa (dance)

Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures.Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle...

Percussion

Percussion instruction includes bata drums

Batá drums

A Batá drum is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass with one cone larger than the other. The percussion instrument is used primarily for the use of religious or semi-religious purposes for the native culture from the land of Yoruba, located in Nigeria, as well as by worshippers of...

(three levels), conga drums, shekere

Shekere

This article is about the musical instrument. for the musical genre, see Sekere.The shekere is an instrument from West Africa consisting of a dried gourd with beads woven into a net covering the gourd. Throughout the continent there are similar gourd/bead or gourd/seed percussion instruments. Some...

, and cajón

Cajón

A cajón is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front face with the hands.-Origins and evolution:...

. Some instruction in Cuban popular styles (salsa music

Salsa music

Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...

, timba

Timba

Timba is a Cuban genre of music sometimes referred as salsa cubana . However, the historical development of timba has been quite independent of the development of salsa in the United States and Puerto Rico and the music has its own trademark aspects due to the Cuban embargo and strong Afro-Cuban...

, Latin jazz

Latin jazz

Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...

, etc.) of congas, bongos, timbales

Timbales

Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...

, drumset are also offered.

Dance

"LEVEL 1: Requires little or no prior experience with Afro-Cuban dance styles.
LEVEL 2: Requires prior Afro-Cuban folkloric dance experience with the ability to keep up in a moderately fast paced environment. Participants must be:
able to pick up moves and steps quickly familiar with the bembé /güiro step familiar with the fundamental orishá steps
LEVEL 3: Master class. For professional dancers, teachers, and performers of Afro-Cuban folkloric dance. Requires mastery of the fundamental orishá steps, and the ability to keep up in an extremely fast-paced, high energy environment. Intended for those with many years of experience in Afro-Cuban dance"—Explorations.

Drum

"LEVEL 1: Requires little or no prior experience with Afro-Cuban music or conga drumming techniques.
LEVEL 2: Requires introductory knowledge of Afro-Cuban rhythms and some prior conga drumming instruction. Participants must demonstrate basic conga drum strokes (open/tone, bass, heel toe, muff and slap) and basic rhythmic independence (tapping the pulse or mainbeat while clapping the cinquillo, tresillo, son and rumba claves, and the bell to bembé .) Level 2 rhythms will be broken down slowly and methodically.
LEVEL 3: Rarticipants must demonstrate all Level 2 skills plus:
Caja and supportive parts to bembé /agbe
clear distinction of conga strokes and stick techniques
an ability to pick up rhythms at a moderate pace
LEVEL 4: Participants must demonstrate all level 3 skills plus:
demonstrate supportive parts for guaguancó
understand how all parts fit together
be able to tap pulse or mainbeat with foot to bembé /agbe and guaguancó rhythms and bell patterns
demonstrate sound hand and stick techniques
demonstrate an ability to pick up rhythms quickly
LEVEL 5: Master class. For professional musicians, teachers and performers of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Requires several years experience playing Afro-Cuban folkloric music. Must have lead drumming experience and all Level 4 skills"—Explorations.

Faculty performance

On the last night of the workshop, the faculty gives a performance in the Van Duzer Theatre, in the HSU Theatre Arts Building.

Grupo exploración

In the summer of 2000, Explorations faculty members Miguel Bernal, Juan Brown, Michael Spiro, Harold Muniz, and "Chichito" Cepeda recorded a CD of instrumental experimental folklore. With no singing, the melody of the tuned drums provide the thematic focus of the music. The results were released as the critically acclaimed Drum Jam (Descarga al tambor) on Bembe Records (CD 2026-2).

Isolating the drum this way is unusual since many percussionists derive their inspiration from singers and dancers. Still, the session gives Afro-Cuban percussion instruments rare focus. Certain drums assume melodic roles, playing a "song", while others create a second strata of melody beneath the soloist—Harrington (2001).

Some of its hypnotic effect results from repetition, and is an effect that you might expect to occur if Phillip Glass did an all-percussion recording. The slight variations, when they occur, become large, meaningful elements in themselves—Polin (2001)

Rumbones

Although not an official part of the course, there are informal rumbones ('rumba

Rumba

parties') nearly every night. These are typically held off-campus, at various homes in the community. This is where some of the best music can be heard, as masters and students alike, sing, dance, and drum with great inspiration. On Tuesday night the party is held on Mad River Beach. With the sunset over the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

and the bonfire that follows, the party is one of the week's high points.

External links

Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum (Humboldt State University Office of Extended Education) http://www.humboldt.edu/afrocuban/
Explorations in Afro-Cuban Dance and Drum - Humboldt State University (Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/HSUafrocuban
Afro-Cuban Dance & Drum Workshop - Humboldt State University (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKDsxX7f9GQ
Humboldt County Drum and Dance, A History in Photos (Facebook) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Humboldt-County-Drum-and-Dance-A-History-in-Photos/146514935390714

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.