African Drum & Dance with Ult Mundane & Tara Murphy

Ult Mundane will teach a drum class from 6:00 to 7:00 pm and Tara Murphy will teach a dance class from 7:15 to 8:45 pm at 118 Elliot Street in Brattleboro, VT. 

The cost of the drum class is on a sliding scale from $10-12 and there are extra drums for those who need one. The cost of the dance class is on a sliding scale from $15-20. 

There will be live drumming accompanying the dance classes. All levels including beginners are welcome. Wear clothes that you can move in and bring a water bottle.

The African dance class with Tara Murphy will get your blood pumping and your heart soaring. Feel the rhythms and shake what you got! Participants will learn the basic style of African dance as well as traditional dances from Mali, Guinea and Senegal, West Africa. The class emphasizes community, self-expression and the joy of movement. We will let our spirits fly! Tara is the founder and director of Cape Cod African Drum and Dance who has been teaching African dance for 15 years.

Ult Mundane has been studying traditional West African drumming for over fifteen years. He has learned from world-renowned teachers such as Famoudou Konate and Mamady Keita, and since 2010 he has studied with Namory Keita, a master drummer from Guinea who now lives in Maine. He’s been teaching weekly djembe and dundun classes for twelve years. He currently teaches Monday evenings at the Rise Up Center in Wilton, NH. Learn to play the high-energy dance music of West Africa! We’ll touch on the foundations of technique for playing the djembe, and then learn a series of phrases that go with a traditional song.

Tara Murphy, originally from Washington, D.C., grew up studying ballet and theater. She earned her B.A. in theater and religious studies at Yale University. At this time she also began studying African dance and drumming, and exploring her African heritage. While at Yale, Tara was awarded a fellowship to study traditional dance and drumming at the University of Legon in Ghana, West Africa. For the past 20 years, she has studied closely under many African and Afro-Caribbean artists in Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. Tara recognizes the practice of African dance and drumming as a tremendous force for healing, meditation, empowerment and community. It is her greatest honor to share the inspiration of these ancient traditions.

To stay informed about classes check out http://www.africandancevt.com/ and African Dance Vermont on Facebook.