African Drum & Dance with Namory Keita & Seny Daffe

African Dance Vermont is excited to welcome back Namory Keita and Seny Daffe, both master teachers originally from Guinea.

There will be live drumming accompanying the dance classes. The drum classes are from 6:00 to 7:00 pm and the cost is on a sliding scale $10-12. There are extra drums for those who need one. The dance classes are from 7:00 to 8:30 and the cost is on a sliding scale $15-20. All levels including beginners are welcome. Wear clothes that you can move in and bring a water bottle.

Namory Keita is an accomplished Guinean drummer who was the lead drummer for his village, Sangbaralla.  He has lead countless traditional musical events and ceremonies. Since 2006, Namory has performed and taught around the U.S. and internationally and has recorded with the group Fankaba.  For several years, Namory taught a weekly drum class and accompanied the dance classes in Brattleboro, Vt. and currently teaches and drums for classes in Kittery, Me. Namory plays for the world renowned West African dance teacher Youssouf Koumbassa, the Kouraba Festival in Canada, Cirque Zuma Zuma, ILAP, and many other noted musicians and venues throughout New England and the US and abroad.  Namory is a sought after teacher and performer with a unique style and a wealth of traditional knowledge very rare to find outside the villages of Guinea. He is a fabulous djembe player and a generous teacher who is experienced at teaching across cultures and skill levels.  He is known for his love of his village, his respect for traditional music and his infectious joy of life.  Take a class with Namory and experience the joy of learning from a masterful player and teacher.

Seny Daffe was born in Conakry, Guinea, West Africa, where dancing and drumming are inseparable from their culture. He is a versatile musician and a very talented dancer, singer and comedian. Seny has a wealth of performing experience in traditional and contemporary dance and drum. Since coming to the United States in 2006, he has traveled the east coast from Florida to Vermont working with several companies and well-known artists. As a member of Jeh Kulu Dance and Drum Theater of Burlington, VT, he is a regular drummer and teacher for dance classes, and assists in musical direction and choreography. He also independently leads multiple dance and drum classes, and is in popular demand to lead workshops throughout the northeast and beyond. He is a multi-talented and dynamic teacher and performer who is gaining a reputation for his approachable and exciting dance and drum classes, his electrifying doundoun playing, and for his rich and powerful voice.