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ASSEMBLY, WORKSHOP, AND RESIDENCY DESCRIPTION

West African Dance & Drumming Workshop/Residency In Person, Virtual

Flushing Town Hall teaching artist Vado Diomande presents a combination of dance and drumming for workshops or residencies. Students begin with a warmup, then they are introduced to a series of steps, and finally the steps are put together with the drum rhythms and danced across the floor. Students learn how the drum and dancing fit together with live accompaniment.  This program can be developed into an 8-week residency with a culminating performance and an additional base drummer. 

West African Drumming Workshop/Residency In Person, Virtual

Vado Diomande introduces the rhythms of the Ivory Coast of Africa. Students learn to listen deeply, maintain a rhythm, accompany a lead drummer, support a soloist, and be a part of a collective expression. Small drums are available to rent or purchase for use during the program.  This program can be developed into an 8-week residency with a culminating performance.   

Dancing The Village! West African Dance & Music Assembly Virtual

Vado Diomande and Kotchegna Dance Company & Drum Corps introduce audiences to the performance and cultural traditions of the villages of Ivory Coast, West Africa through a series of dances, each accompanied by song, drumming and traditional costumes. Audiences have the opportunity to directly engage with the company as Kotchegna leads viewers through the language and meaning of songs, the anatomy of a West African drum, and short, interactive choreography that will help them become acquainted with the diverse people of Ivory Coast. The live virtual assembly includes pre-recorded footage as well as live interaction.

Kotchegna Dance Company’s West African Dance & Music Assembly In Person

Kotchegna Dance Company & Drum Corps perform extensively throughout New York City and the US, thrilling audiences with the energy and joy of Ivory Coast dance and rhythms from West Africa. Kotchegna means messenger in Mahou, a dialect of the Ivory Coast and the native language of the company director, Vado Diomande. Kotchegna seeks to impart the village traditions of over 60 different ethnic groups comprising the country through performance and teaching. The performance features spectacular mask dances that depict different roles and customs of the complex Ivorian culture. The company is known for its intricate footwork and interwoven rhythms, and the dancing and drumming is colorful and dramatic. Vado can present Gue-Pelou, the Tall Mask of the Forest, a breathtaking sacred mask danced on stilts, bringing blessings from the ancestors if a secure and private dressing area can be secured. This mask appears at the beginning of special occasions, dancing, chanting, singing, and blessing the event in a beautiful costume, and with acrobatic feats of daring. This mask brings blessings and protection, connecting everyone to the sacred world of the ancestors.