ASU East students experienced authentic West African dances, chants and drum rhythms performed by Kawambe-Omowale as part of the campus' series of events honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The performers took students on a cultural tour that started in Nigeria and went to Senegal and then landed in Northern Ghana. It included a dance that became tradition when the men of the village felt they should dress as women to mock themselves to end a drought so the village would survive.
Throughout the performance, two drummers played the "brekete," "dono," and the "junjun," which are drums made of animal hide and wood. The drummers' beat called to the two female dancers who expressed African culture through their movements and costumes.
Music professor Mark Sunkett is one of the drummers. He goes to Africa every year to study and videotape African dances and culture. He then uses his research to bring authenticity to this drum and dance theatre.
Sunkett said the audience's reaction at first tends to be timid. "They don't know it's OK to get loud, jump up and dance."
The dance has several motives. "It can be a prayer, communal interaction, storytelling, or a history," Sunkett said.
Jay Busch, who has been teaching music humanities at ASU for more than 18 years and is a drummer, said, "I think students were surprised that it [music] moved them."
The rhythms in African music are complex, yet they easily invite a person into it -- compelling them to dance.
Click here to see other upcoming MLK events at ASU East.
Micah Wheeler, an agribusiness junior, said" "You don't get a chance to hear stuff like that in the mainstream."
Obadiah Goemaat, a student from Busch's Jazz history class said, "It was fabulous, the stories of the traditions behind the music. I didn't realize so much of it was agriculturally based."
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
