Hello All,

Heads up that there will not be class on Saturday March 11 while there is insulation work happening downstairs from the studio.

There are a few recent recordings available that you can use that day or anytime. Please contact me if you are interested in those.

You already know how much the music we dance with means to me.

I recently wrote a little reflection on that and recent times that starts:

One of the sirens’ calls that first got me into teaching dance was the notion that I could make my own mixes with all this new to my ears music that was coming my way. From the continent of Africa especially. This excitement along with needing to structure a mix along an aerobic hear rate curve was very compelling. 

I spent a lot of time counting the beats per minute of pieces and hours and hours getting a set just so in the cassette form. 

Then came the CD format. Faster but still needing to have all the physical materials on hand to make something happen. Once it was burned, it was done.

Now I can make and rearrange mixes as fast as I can think of or explore a new song. 

Read the rest here

Last time I was in Mali, almost 20 years ago (!) I saw a billboard for a concert we missed by an artist I wasn't familiar with. When I got back to the States, I tracked his work down and have been glad ever since. Here's Tiken Jay Fakoly from his 2022 release singing Farana.

...and a little about him from Wikipedia: "Tiken Jah Fakoly plays music "to wake up the consciences". His music speaks about the many injustices done to the people of his country and Africans in general, as well as inciting calls for pan-Africanism and an African economic, political and cultural resurgence. As such, many African listeners feel a deep affinity with his lyrics as Fakoly speaks for oppressed people. This connection has helped make Tiken Jah Fakoly a much-listened artist throughout the world."

Thanks for reading and see some of you next week in "daylight savings" times.

xo

Lara