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Dance to the Drum, Drum to the Dance
Kunama Mtendaji invites you to participate in the dynamic realm of music, dance and song of West Africa and its extensions in the Caribbean, South and North America. Participants have fun while learning to sing in Yoruba and Mandeng, the languages of West Africa, French and Spanish Creole, and original melodies composed by Kunama. Through the disciplines of percussion, dance, and storytelling, history and geography are presented in a colorful way to help students understand how the arts can be used as a vibrant method to communicate ideas. Djembe, dundun, conga drums and shekere (gourd rattle) are some of the instruments the students will study and play.
| Format | Costs | Grade Level(s) | Curriculum Connections |
| Residency | Cost for 3 Classrooms x 6 sessions: $1,386 | Kindergarten - Grade 12 | Character Education Culture Customized to Curriculum History / Social Studies Dance / Movement Music Storytelling |
About Mtendaji, Kunama
Kunama Mtendaji is a veteran teacher and performer of storytelling, music and dance. He was born into a family that excelled in the oral tradition on his mother's side and musical instrumentation on his father's side. He learned traditional drumming and dance of the African diaspora during his college years at the Performing Arts Training Center, directed by the renowned dancer and anthropologist, Katherine Dunham. Baba Kunama was a principal drummer with the Chosane Dance Company, directed by his teacher, legendary master drummer Mor Thiam. While working as curator of the Katherine Dunham Museum, he deepened his understanding of "functional communal performing arts". Kunama launched his first programs to teach youth about African cultures in 1981.
All Programs by Mtendaji, Kunama
- Dance to the Drum, Drum to the Dance (Residency) - This Program
- Words from the Drum (Performance)
