Summary: Picking up on musical cues from African drums is important in West African dance. Learn how to listen for musical cues in this free dance lesson video.
CONTACT: www.lotusmusicanddance.org
Caren Calder is an instructor at Lotus Music & Dance in New York City who may be reached at 212-627-1076. Ms. Calder is a dancer, storyteller,...read more
"In this clip, we're going to talk about a musical cue. Right now, we're dancing without drums but in African dance you'll usually have a class with at least two drummers. The djembe and the samba are the drums that we do this style of dance to. The djembe gives us the cues and plays lead. But the samba, gives us that bottom beat that we move our feet to. The important thing to listen for is the break, that tells you when to begin. And that's it."