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Warning : Failed opening '../../section_header.shtml' for inclusion (include_path='/usr/local/lib/php/php-include:/httpd/htdocs/inn/new_class:.') in /mnt/fileserver/htdocs/adh/dailytidings.com/html/business/dt_business.php on line 28 Ryan Camara (left), leads the way with Sharon Holland (background) and Gaelyn Larrick in a drum circle performance at Ashland's Mojo Cafe. Ashland Daily Tidings/AMY ALONZO Mojo work'n with a drum beat By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Residents can have an inside look at traditional West African drumming and dance during a benefit concert at Mojo Cafe in Ashland. The concert, which begins at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, is presented by Global Community Rhythm and Dance, an Ashland non-profit organization dedicated to promoting drumming and dance. "The drumming and dance are intertwined," said Ryan Camara, who will open the concert with his Ashland-based drumming group, Wakili. "Traditional dances are associated with these rhythms. These are actual dances that would be performed in villages, with the drummer following and marking the steps of the dancers." The centerpiece of the concert will be a performance by master drummer and recording artist M. Lamine "Dibo" Camara, who adopted Ryan Camara as his son. From the Republic of Guinea, "Dibo" Camara has been nicknamed "Rhythm Devil" because of his incredible speed, technique and phrasing, according to Gaelyn Larrick, director of Global Community Rhythm and Dance. The concert also features master dancers Nene and Aboubacar Soumah from Guinea's National Ballet Djoliba. Tickets are $7 in advance and are available at Mojo Cafe, 141 Lithia Way, and One World, 131 E. Main St. At the door, tickets are $9. Proceeds from the event will help defray the costs of bringing the musical artists to Ashland for six months to teach at the newly formed Forè-Foté School of Drum and Dance Northwest, according to Larrick. Residents who want to try West African drumming and dance for themselves can attend workshops on Saturday and Sunday at McNeil Hall on the Southern Oregon University campus. "Dibo" Camara will teach a drumming class from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on both days, while Nene and Aboubacar Soumah will teach a dance class from 2:30 to 4 p.m. on both days. The cost for one class is $15 and the cost for any two classes is $28. All four classes cost $52. Ryan Camara, who received research funding from the University of California at Las Angeles to study ethnomusicology in Guinea, said many people may be familiar with drumming, but don't understand the cultural context of the music. "Not a lot of people in the U.S. know where the rhythms come from that they're playing in the park. "Our mission is to make sure traditional music is appreciated and preserved," he said. For more information, call 488-3060. Warning : Failed opening '../../section_footer.shtml' for inclusion (include_path='/usr/local/lib/php/php-include:/httpd/htdocs/inn/new_class:.') in /mnt/fileserver/htdocs/adh/dailytidings.com/html/business/dt_business.php on line 70