Western’s Department of Theatre and Dance to Host West African Dance and Drum Performers in February

Western Washington University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will host N’nato Camara and Lamine Soumah for a West African dance and drum weekend.

Camara will perform at “Cabaret” hosted by Western’s Department of Theatre and Dance at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19 in the Performing Arts Center (PAC); Camara will lead a free dance class at 2:30-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20; Soumah will lead a drum class from noon-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20.

Camara is a member of the Susu tribe and comes from the city of Conakry in Guinea West Africa. In Guinea, she was the principal dancer with the Ballet Taille led by Mamadouba Camara, soloist for the Ballet Djoliba and former soloist for the Ballet Africans – two of West Africa’s most respected dance groups.

After arriving in Canada in 2004, Camara performed with Masabo Culture Company and with three time Juno Award-winner Alpha Yaya Diallo. She travels the world performing and teaching traditional West African dance in places such as Mexico, Japan, Costa Rica and the United States.

Soumah, born in Guinea, was surrounded by music and a mix of Malinke and Sussou cultures. For many years he worked and studied under Famoudou Konate, a Malinke master drummer from Guinea, and through his relationships with the students who traveled to visit Konte he was able to spend several years teaching djembe to students in Conakry and abroad in Europe. In 1999 Souhman began touring with Ballet Merveilles, one of the most notable and progressive private ballet companies in Conakry. His time with Merveilles ended when his friend Bolokada Conde invited him to join his group in the United States. In 2003 he moved to North Carolina to work with Ballet Warraba for one year before being recruited to work full time with the Afro-Caribbean Dance Theater in Tallahassee, Florida for the next eight years.

Since leaving Florida in 2010 Soumah has been up and down the west coast from Alaska to California working with artists of all types. He resides primarily in Seattle and plays locally for dance classes.

In addition to the above listed events, Camara and Souhmah will be teaching classes in Western’s Music and Dance departments. For more information contact Mackenzie Graham, organizer of Bellingham’s West African Drum and Dance group, at mackenziegraham@gmail.com.