About African music and/or dance workshops:
In the workshop presentations we focus on the concept: Music and Dance = Life!
African music and dance is strongly associated with ritual and ceremony that reflects everyday life. To enhance this concept, I present a slide show of photos from my own personal experience of living, and studying music and dance in Africa.

The presentation includes photos of people in traditional costumes, dancers and musicians performing at traditional ceremonies, various local instruments, children's performance groups, craftsmen building instruments, rural settings and of my own interactions with my teachers and host family.

The slide presentation is usually discussion or seminar based with time allowed for questions. I also bring a variety of African instruments such as marimbas, thumb piano's, drums and seed shakers both for display and for the students to experiment with (time permitting). Music teachers may prefer practical workshops using this instrumentation to create simple pieces and/or rhythms. (click instrument to see more)

For dance workshops, it is essential to have at least one drummer to accompany the dancers. African dance is about a deep communication between music and movement, so having drummers playing for the class allows the dancers to experience the essence of rhythm and timing and promotes listening ability in conjunction with body coordination.

Aims and Objectives:
*Creating awareness of cultural differences, and in doing so highlighting the importance of and experiencing the nature, of ritualistic music and dance, where movements and sounds have clear identity and therefore characterize a vital place in everyday tribal life.

*To digress from Western mediums such as jazz, tap and ballet which tend to require strict discipline. to a more grounded, less rigid form, where movements are more centered in the pelvis.

*Promoting communication and interaction with a style of music, ie drumming, which is different from Western forms and promotes the understanding of polyrhythm and timing.

(Optional - for dance only) If at the end of a series of workshops the students are required to perform some of the new dance styles they have learned, the workshops can be structured to focus on choreographing a short piece and working towards a performance for a particular event.
Note: Slide presentation and dance workshops can be separate from each other i.e. music students may require slide presentation alone and no dance workshops and dance students may prefer practical dance sessions only.

Please contact Donna for additional information
including fee schedules and availability.
References from schools available upon request.

E-mail: fatiland@eisa.net.au                       View instruments