Evening Concert Series
Sara M. Snell Music Theater
2023 – 2024 Season
Saturday,April 20th at 7:30 PM
WestAfrican Drum and Dance Ensemble
Julie Hunter, Director
Jordan Mensah, GuestArtist
Samuel Maama Marquaye, GuestArtist
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng, Guest Instructor &Artist
Ayelevi Traditional
Kpatsa Dance-Drumming
Shaayoo
Kpatsa le samba Traditional
Boboobo Aseye
MayiAfe
Salaam Malekum
Kpanlogo Dance-Drumming
Tsoo Boi
MaameAyekoo
Engo Naa Ee
Ayelevi Traditional Traditional
WestAfrican Ensemble
VanessaAagaard
Jessica De PeizaArchili
Sophia DeGaetano
Abby Diaz
Sarah Faragon
Maddie Fish
Emma Fusco
Noah Garland
Eric Gordonos
Sylvia Grant
Destiny Guinnee
Jay-Era Johnson
Garrett O’Hara
Osagie Owie
Melissa Pabon
Logan Ploss
Mario Rivera
Renee Rivers
Jose Santiago
Ivanna Soletska
Alyssa Stephens
Zoe Williamson
Darrah Wright
Guest Performers
IreneAkingboju
Cade Lamphere
Peter McCoy
Program Notes
Ayelevi
“Ayelevi” is a short song in call and response form which is set in the Ewe language. It is often performed unaccompanied by children or as part of the kpanlogo repertoire, though most kpanlogo songs are sung in Ga since the genre originated among the Ga ethnic group in southern Ghana.
Kpatsa
Kpatsa comes from the Ga-Dangme ethnic group of Southern coastal Ghana. Kpatsa is a popular form of entertainment at funerals and festivals. It has historically been performed as a coming-of-age dance for girls prior to marriage. It is said that this style of music originated among dwarfs, and the off-kilter and low-to-the-ground dancing reflects their movements. The lead hand drum in kpatsa is known as mi in the Ga language. Kpatsa instrumentation also includes the nonota (iron double bell), toke (boat-shaped bell), shekeshe (gourd shaker), sogo (low stick and hand drum), kidi (medium stick drum), and kagan (high stick drum).
Boboobo
Boboobo is an Ewe recreational genre performed in Southeastern Ghana. It originated in Kpando, in the Northern Volta Region, prior to Ghanaian independence in the late 1950s. Influences from highlife and Christian hymn singing are evident in the music. The majority of boboobo lyrics are set in the Ewe language and the texts forthisperformancearein EweandArabic. Theinstrumentationincludes toke (boatshaped bell), kretsiwa (finger bell), akaye gourd shaker), vuvi (stick drum), asivui (hand drum), dondo (talking drum), and vuga (master drum). Although not performed on this program, the boboobo dance involves women’s lively movements andvigorous spinningofhandkerchiefs.Whilewomen arefeaturedin thedance, men typically drumand both menandwomenformthe chorus. Drumminghas historically been performed exclusively by men in Ghana, and many parts of Africa, although this practice has started to shift in the last few decades with the emergence of more women drummers.
Kpanlogo
Kpanlogo is a genre of Ga recreational music and dance from the Greater Accra Region, including the capital city area, of Southern Ghana. It is typically played at funerals, festivals, and parties. It developed in the 1950s during Ghana’s independence period and was utilized as a means of resistance during the anticolonial struggle which culminated in the country’s achievement of freedom from British rule in 1957. The song lyrics and dance movements reflect political themes as well as the lifestyle of urban West African youth. As one of the most popular and widespread Ghanaian genres today, kpanlogo can be heard throughout Ghana as well astheAfricandiaspora,includingfrequentperformancesbyuniversity-basedAfrican ensembles in NorthAmerica since the 1960s. Kpanlogo is comprised of hundreds of
songs and dance movements as demonstrated by groups such as the Shidaa Cultural Troupe.Within the polyrhythmic texture of this fast-paced piece, the lead hand drum, mi, plays a complex and changing solo part which adds musical variety, prompts changes in the choreography, and corresponds to specific movements. The nonota (double bell) establishes the timeline, or foundational rhythmic pattern typical of WestAfrican music, in response to the underlying four-beat pattern played by the shekeshe (shaker). Additional instruments include the dodompo (finger bell), tamalin (frame drum), and bamboo sticks. Kpanlogo is a highly participatory musical tradition and we invite you to join along and clap, sing, and dance in the aisles at the end of the performance. Yeda mo ase papaapa (Thank you very much)!
GuestArtists
JordanMensahstarteddrumminginGhanaattheageof nine.HegrewupinBukom, a suburb of Accra, where music and dance played an integral role in all community activities. He is the founder and director of Shidaa Projects, a non-profit arts organization based in Vermont and dedicated to cultural education and community building through the sharing of West African music and cultural practices with students and community members across the state. He is a juried artist listed with the Vermont Arts Council and has organized workshops, residencies, and performances at local schools and universities. He teaches music and dance from Ghana, Guinea, and Mali in addition to Ghanaian storytelling and visual arts.
Samuel Maama Marquaye is a dancer, choreographer, percussionist, and actor. At the age of thirteen, he joined the Shidaa Cultural Troupe in Accra, Ghana where he developed a passion for dance and theatre which has now evolved into his profession. He is a distinguished and award-winning dancer who specializes in traditional Ga and Ga-Dangme repertoire as well as contemporary Ghanaian styles. Marquaye has performed and taught music and dance in Germany, France, Libya, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Between 2002 and 2023, he served as Artistic Director and Lead Choreographer for Shidaa in Ghana, including performances for the Ghana MusicAwards, The Versatile Show, FIFAWorld Cup Trophy Tour,African CupofNationsTournament,andtheYosakoiFestivalinAccra. Inaddition,Marquaye collaborated with the Akwaaba Dance Ensemble, Peace Cultural Troupe, Ghana Dance Ensemble, Ga Mashie Music and Dance Theater, Noyam Dance Institute, and Alliance Francais. Since 2023, he took on the role of Drum and Dance Director of Shidaa in Vermont and has performed and taught workshops in the Northeast
including at Lost Nation Theater, The Derryfield School, and College of William and Mary. He is also an excellent drummer and has served as a recording studio artist specializing in Ghanaian rhythms.
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng has worked with the Crane West African Ensemble since its start in 2013. He is a well-renowned drummer, singer, dancer, composer, and educator originally from Ghana who has worked internationally for the past 30 years. He began drumming at the age of five with the Fontomfrom Ensemble, anAkan royal court ensemble that performs for the Paramount Chief of the Aburi-Akuapim area, and wider community, in the Eastern Region of Ghana. By seventeen, he was appointed Royal Court Drummer. He later joined Ghana's National Arts Council Folkloric Company based inAccra. In addition to traditional WestAfrican music, he has performed and recorded a range of styles such ashighlife,funk, jazz, Latin music, and reggae. Obeng directs the Ghanaian Drumming and World Music Ensembles at Brown University, and he also teaches at Berklee College of Music.
Obeng has shared the stage with such luminaries as Roy Hargrove, Randy Weston, Max Roach, Anthony Braxton, Jay Hoggard, Wadada Leo Smith, Gideon Alorwoyie, Obo Addy, Fleetwood Mac, Bill Laswell, and Bootsy Collins. He has taught workshops at universities across the Northeast, including Yale and New York University, and has appeared at a wide range of venues and festivals in the US, Mexico, Brazil, St. Lucia, Senegal, Ghana, and New Zealand. Obeng has released four solo albums including Awakening, Sunsum, Afrijazz, and Africa’s Moving Forward. He has also been featured on dozens of recordings and compilations. He recently played on the soundtrack for the Pentatonix’s Around the World for the Holidays film on Disney+. Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng’s music is available at Nfewa Music.
Special Thanks
Jordan Mensah
Samuel Marquaye
Shidaa Projects
Heather Preis Mensah
Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng
Peter McCoy
William Gibbons
David Heuser
Sandy Larock
Karen Miller
Douglas McKinnie
Rob Zolner
Joshua Barkley
Casey Grev
Nils Klykken
Michael Vitalino
Timothy Sullivan
Libbie Freed
Nasser Malit
Risa Okina
Edward Komara
Jason Hunter
Ayisha Khalid
VanessaAagaard
Ivette Herryman Rodriguez
Jessica De PeizaArchili
Sophia DeGaetano
Emma Fusco
Sylvia Grant