This year we held a four-day drum and dance camp over the Melbourne Cup weekend. Our guest artists included Oumou Faye and Ibou Ngom (Senegalese dancer and drummer from California), Mohamed Bangoura and Mohamed Camara (Guinean drummers from Sydney and Melbourne), Kwame Tosuma teaching Ghanaian-style Afrobeat dance, Lam Lakiz who brought Ndombolo and Kizomba, Miriam Lieberman (singing), Deanna Nikodijevic (bellydance), Tania Bosak (TaKeTiNa) and two gorgeous African dancers from Japan – Mami Hirayama and Clair Okamoto.
Needless to say, we fit in a huge amount of drumming and dancing. Many people were dancing 6-7 hours per day during classes then on in to the night!
Participants came from across Australia, New Zealand and Japan for the event. Having one extra day provided more time for people to get to know each other and many new friendships were made.
Thank you to everyone involved in the event – especially the grand parents who made some amazing sweets and drove hither and thither to make everything run smoothly.
Here’s what people had to say…
” thanks for your passion, commitment, community building, energy to die for, and amazing giving, smiling personalities!!!!! You are all wonderful! AHEKOO !”
“great friendly people and relaxed fun increased by certain wacky people”
“Love, love, love and still buzzing. Thank you
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“Thanks Mitzi, Simon and all other teachers, volunteers and organisers. I cherish this community and will give myself wholeheartedly to it
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“Loved it, as usual. It gets better every year!”
“Such a beautiful community of people. The organisers Mitzi and Simon are simply amazing people”
