Bare feet silently pound the wooden floor, and racing hearts thump in time with the pulse of drums. Eight percussionists beat on their instruments while dancers twist and stretch their bodies, interpreting the rhythms into West African stories.
Every Monday, Debraé Firehawk conducts classes in West African dance at WOW Hall. The beginning classes start at 5:30 p.m., and the intermediate classes begin at 7:30 p.m. Intermediate to advanced dance classes are held at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Drum classes are also offered at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. The cost for the classes is based on a sliding scale from $7 to $13.
Firehawk said she and her troupe of percussionists are part of a group called the Eugene West African Dance and Drum
Collective. She said many of the members are also part of a collective called “Foli Kan,” a name that means “sound of rhythm” in Malinke, the language of Guinea and Mali.
The group of dancers hop and swing their arms during the “sole” dance, which is a dance for the rite of passage for boys in Guinea, Firehawk said. She said the boys go with the village elders into the woods, and they play one rhythm when the boy leaves the village and another when he returns.
For girls, she said they do a dance called “sorsener” for their rite of passage.
West African dance “is probably the most joyous, ecstatic dance ever done,” Firehawk said. “It’s a connection between sky and earth.”
Firehawk said she completed her studies of dance at the University of Massachusetts and traveled among the indigenous peoples of Guinea and Mali for almost five months. She said she intensely studied their dance culture, a culture based on connecting with spirits through dance.
Although Islam dominates the region, Firehawk said the dances had elements of magic in them — the tribes called it “ju ju.” She said it seemed like a kind of voodoo, but the dance encompassed both the negative and positive aspects of magic.
Instructor Debra
“We’re finally acknowledging Africa for the richness that’s there,” Firehawk said. “It’s been a long time in coming.”
Rachel Bonvillain, one of the dance students, said she drove from Cottage Grove to attend the classes.
“It’s a super energetic and expressive kind of dance,” she said.
Bonvillain said it’s easy to catch on to the dance because Firehawk explains and demonstrates each step, first at a normal speed, then breaking the step down into simpler parts for the students to learn.
Teri Page, another West African dance student, said she enjoyed the drum music.
West African dance “is really unique from other dance classes because of the live music,” she said.
Page said she enjoys the classes because they are a fun, aerobic workout.
“You get a high off it, because you’re moving so much,” Bonvillain said.
Bonvillain said dancing to the beat of the drums is inspiring and powerful, and at the same time, hard to explain.
“There’s something about the drums,” she said.
E-mail reporter Jen West
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