Summer Drum and Dance Classes Beginning June 21st!

This summer, we have a new home for our African dance classes with Soma Beats! The dance studio is Mountains in Motion in Saranac Lake, NY.

Also new is beginner African drumming classes (djembe drums) with James of Wulaba Drum. You can sign up for both drum and dance class eight weeks for only $80!

If you prefer to sign up for just one or the other, the details are below:

8 week Summer Session: Tuesdays June 21—August 16th (Skip July5th)

6-7pm Beginner African Drum Class with Wulaba
—limited number of Djembes are available
$12 per class; $44 / 4 class card; $80 full series card


7-8:30 African Dance Class
$15 per class; $52 / 4 class card; $80 full series card

Sign up for drum and/or dance classes

Contact: Johnna@somabeats.com, call 518-791-9586, or visit SOMABEATS on facebook for more details.  For drumming information, contact James at 518-524-1834

Jeh Kulu Drum and Dance Festival

Wulaba drummers and Soma Beats Dancers took the trip across the lake to participate in Jeh Kulu's Annual Drum and Dance Festival in Burlington, VT. The majority of the dance troupe was able to come on Saturday to do a couple classes with Jeh Kulu and learn some "new" moves.

We were most excited to learn the dance to Sinte. Why? Because Wulaba drum knows that rhythm and we hadn't created a dance to it. How wonderful to see the "real thing" as taught by Jeh Kulu's Sidiki Sylla.

The drummers took advantage of the djembe classes, krin, balafone and dunun classes. Our "craziest" wild woman dancer, ShoShana, took nine dance classes and one drum class over two days!!

Jems Community Dance June, 2009 - Maraka Don

Wulaba and Soma Beats Rock the NCCC International Festival!

Soma Beats dancers, led by Johnna MacDougall, debuted two new dances: SoKo and Yankadi-Makaru. The SoKo dance, choreographed by Johnna MacDougall, was meant to signify the "cutting of chains" from captivity to freedom. It represents the freedom of all human-kind and is a rejoicing of that transformation. Dancer and yoga instructor, Mimi Wacholder Frantz, brought back the dance of Yankadi from her trip to Mexico where unexpectedly, there was an African dance class. The Yankadi dance is the dance of seduction. Flowing movements and lots of "hip" make this dance sensuous and playful - a courting dance of sorts. Then without warning, Yankadi becomes Makaru, a spirited fast-paced dance where traditionally the "couples" that have formed during Yankadi, dance at a feverish pace together. One of the highlights of tonight's performance at the North Country Community College International Festival was the Community Dance done to Kakilambe, a dance of healing celebration, where the audience is invited to participate, as well as the Circle Dance where free expression inside the "circle" reigns. Children to adults enjoyed the rhythms and shook their bodies to the delightful sound of the drums! videos to come!

More Photos of Wulaba and Soma Beats from the Rotary Variety Show

Wulaba Drum and Soma Beats performs for Saranac Lake Rotary Show

Wulaba and Soma Beats performed for the first time at the 2009 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival Variety show hosted by the Saranac Lake Rotary. We were the first professional group to perform after the "court" performed and we got everyone up off their seats and clapping or dancing to the beat of the drum! The teenagers who were performing their own dance number quickly jumped out of their seats to dance along with Soma Beats. Wulaba performed Kakilambe as the Soma Beats dancers danced up to the stage in the 624 capacity seating-only event. We then debuted BAO. The stage was narrow because of the equipment out at the front so the dunun sticks actually hit some of our dancers during Bao! Luckily no one was injured :o) Then Johnna MacDougall, choreographer, joined the dancers to do DJOLE. The energy was HIGH and it set the stage for great performances that night including Inisheer and the Dustbunnies and Long Hairs, two other professional groups. All in all, we had a fabulous time! We are just waiting for copies of the video!

Soma Beats & Wulaba perform Djole New Year's Eve!

Marsha Kameron's Freedom Birthday Bash

What a terrific time we all had celebrating Marsha Kameron's Freedom Birthday Bash at the Presbyterian Church in Saranac Lake on Saturday! Over 70 people were there and Johnna MacDougall of Soma Beats shared her "babies" (percussion instruments) with the party-goers so they could dance and rock to their own rhythm.

Capoeira, Soma Beats & Wulaba Drum at the Art Walk

Thursday Sept. 18th, which was the birthday of one of our drummers, Sandy Muller, we celebrated by drumming at the Saranac Lake Art Walk. Jamie Whidden was there on hand to show off the fluid martial arts moves of Capoeira, a brazilian art form. Jamie, James and I did some Capoeira together. I had a half Capoeira outfit - half African outfit on for the occasion. Johnna Macdougall, African Dance teacher, brought several of her Soma Beats dancers to dance with us. We even had a few spectators dance this year which was awesome! Just like last year, we were in front of the town hall - the perfect place to be for lots of attention! Karen