Penn State welcomes African drum and dance company
Members of the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company, based in Pittsburgh, warm up before a recent performance at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Pictured are (from left) Yamoussa Camara, company founder who plays a falafon; Thomas Chatman, playing a djembe; and Dolores Heagy, playing a kenkeni.
Frances Borsodi Zajac|Herald-Standard
Students and staff at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, in North Union Township not only watched the performance by the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company but became part of the show. Yamoussa Camara, company founder, front left, and Dolores Heagy, front right, lead participants in learning dance steps.
Yamoussa Camara, founder of the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company, based in Pittsburgh, teaches students and staff at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus how to play traditional instruments during a recent performance. Pictured with Camara are (from left) C.J. Lloyd, a sophomore from Lemont Furnace; Amanda Peters, archivist from the Penn State Coal and Coke Center; Rikki Knight, a sophomore from Maryland; and Niyonkuru Rusi, a junior from Pittsburgh.
Yamoussa Camara, founder of the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company, coaxes audience members at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in North Union Township to join in the performance. Deja Coffee, a sophomore from Michigan, seated, participated by trying the drums.
Thomas Chatman plays the djembe, one of several traditional instruments used by members of the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company, based in Pittsburgh, during a recent performance at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in North Union Township.
Dolores Heagy performs a spiritual dance as a member of the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company during a recent visit to Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. The company, which is based in Pittsburgh, uses traditional instruments, dress and songs to share African culture.
Smiles and laughter were plentiful at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, in North Union Township as students and staff not only enjoyed a recent performance by the Camara West African Drum and Dance Company but became part of the show.
“We are here to dance and sing,” announced Yamoussa Camara, a Guinea native and company founder. “Later, you have to dance for me, so get ready for that.”
Joe Onesi, a Uniontown senior who interns in the Student Affairs office, introduced the company that performed at the Student Center in the Williams Building and whose appearance was sponsored by the Coalition for Equity.
Camara, Thomas Chatman and Dolores Heagy began by performing several selections of traditional West African music, most from Guinea.
Dressed in authentic costumes, the Pittsburgh musicians played seven instruments, including a balafon, which looks like an xylophone, and drums that included U-shaped pieces called djembe as well as those shaped like cylinders called doun doun, sangban and kenkeni.
“It’s not the size, it’s the pitch,” Heagy explained the difference in the names of the drums.
Heagy also took to the floor and danced for the audience, including a spiritual piece called “Sinte.”
Soon enough, Camara began calling students and staff to join the company in dancing, even coming off the stage to walk through the audience to recruit people.
As the participants assembled on a dance floor, Camara demonstrated three different steps and taught them a children’s song that translates into English as, “Mommy, Mommy, the siko drums are here!”
He then went back to the stage to play music with Chatman while Heagy led everyone in the steps, a celebration dance.
Camara congratulated the participants on their efforts, but noted, “The first time, we dance 15 miles per hour. Now, we’re going to dance 25 miles per hour. Let’s go!”
And they did.
Now Camera came back on the floor and had the audience form a semi-circle, saying, “I want you each to show me one step you learned from me or show me what you got. This is freestyle!”
And they did.
Each participant took turns performing steps to Camara’s approval. They sang and danced and danced some more before returning to their seats to watch more of the performance.
Until Camara noted, “I believe some people want to play the drums. C’mon.”
And they did.
Three times, Camara invited a group onto the stage where he instructed them on how to play notes on the instruments and then called on them to perform together.
They took the lesson seriously but also enjoyed themselves with smiles appearing all over the stage.
Camara closed the program, saying, “Thank you, Uniontown, thank you very much. Have a wonderful week and God bless.”
According to the company’s website, Camara was born in the village of Boke, Guinea in 1966 and became a protégé of Mohamed Kemoko Sano, choreographer and artistic director of both national companies, Djoliba and Les Ballets Africains, as well as founder and director of Les Merveilles d’Afrique.
Camara was one of the youngest lead drummers in Les Ballets Africains and toured Durope, Frica and the United States with the national companies.
The website explained Camara immigrated to the United States in 1995, performing with several companies and teaching drum and dance at Yale University as well as teaching, performing and doing choreography for dance ensembles around the United States.
Now living in Pittsburgh, Camara teaches at the University of Pittsburgh and Point Park University in addition to operating his own company, which he founded in 2007. Members have made two trips to Guinea to study with Les Ballet Africains.
The talented company made an impression on Penn State students, particularly for the opportunity to perform with them.
Among the students who participated:
Rikki Knight, a sophomore from Maryland, said, “I loved it! It was very energetic. I’m glad everybody got to interact and be included.”
Damian Alicea, a sophomore from Massachusetts, commented, “I thought it was amazing! I love culture and diversity to this was fantastic for me to watch.”
Deja Coffee, a sophomore from Michigan, said, “I thought it was good, very entertaining. I’m glad they interacted with the crowd.”
Niyonkuru Rusi, a junior from Pittsburgh, is a native of Africa. She was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, grew up in Tanzania and came to the United States 10 years ago.
“It’s much different from what I’m used to,” said Rusi of the music played by Camara’s company. “This is the first time since I’ve been here (at Penn State Fayette) that they’ve had African music so it’s very interesting. I enjoyed it.”
Company members, likewise, appreciated the Penn State students and staff.
“I enjoyed their energy and watching them learn about the culture is always great,” said Chatman.
“This is a really great crowd. They were into it,” said Heagy, later adding, “That’s a big part of it. We want to get people involved so they learn and connect. It was an enthusiastic crowd. I think they got a lot out of it.”