Barakissa Coulibaly and Zansa to perform at 2nd Annual Soumu: A celebration of African music, dance, food, and art on June 5 at 7pm

Lush Life and Zansa Present:
Soumu: A Celebration of African Music, Dance, Food, and Culture. Thursday, June 5th at The Orange Peel

Featuring: Zansa, Barakissa Coulibaly, Lisa Zahiya, Mande Foly, African Drum & Dance Troupes, West African Dinner, African Art.

Doors 6pm/ Show 7pm; $12 in advance/$15 day of; All ages
African food available, not included in ticket cost.
Tickets available at Orange Peel box office, or email
zansamusic@gmail.comor call 828-774-2277
More Information at theorangepeel.net and zansamusic.com
Join the event on Facebook here

On Thursday June 5, The Orange Peel will host Asheville’s 2nd Annual Soumu, presented by Lush Life Productions and Zansa. This Soumu, which is a West African term for an all encompassing party- music, dance, food, and art, will be upgrading to a larger venue this year at The Orange Peel.  At the last sold out Soumu, funds were raised for 33rd generation djembe player and now U.S. Citizen Adama Dembele to acquire his green card.

Performing live at the event will be afropop/zouglou band Zansa, featuring Ivory Coast native Adama Dembele and Ivorian dancer Barakissa Coulibaly; African drum and dance troupes featuring Adama and Barakissa’s students; Lisa Zahiya performing folk dances of North Africa and contemporary dances from Cairo, acoustic Zansa side project Mande Foly; and members of Juan Benavides Group. Traditional West African cuisine by Soce will be available for purchase (cash only), as well as Senegalese arts and crafts.

In celebrating the African arts, Barakissa Coulibaly will be performing a solo dance piece on the plight of the African woman. Barakissa is a master dancer from Ivory Coast, West Africa, and has toured, performed, and taught in almost 20 countries. Says Barakissa, “”The title of my solo is ‘Without a Shadow,’ which speaks about the revolution of African women. ‘Without a Shadow’ reveals the suppressed voice of all women who suffer in silence. As a young adult, I myself, have experienced a direct connection to this pain and suffering that all the women of Africa have endured; however, it is time to be free. It is time tospeak out. It is time to LIVE. Through each step of my solo, I speak out for all of the women around the world, ‘You SHALL, be known.'”

In collaboration with LEAF International, a portion of the proceeds raised from this event will go to benefit Barakissa’s company Mouaye in Ivory Coast. Mouaye was started in the 2000s as a safe haven for children and young adults during the violent wartime years. This refuge became a place for people to learn African drumming and dancing, and continues to be so to this day. Our goal is to connect Mouaye, Zansa, LEAF International, and Asheville to help this new partnership continue to grow.

Artistic Company Mouaye was created by Barakissa Coulibaly after the great violent crisis in Ivory Coast during the Gbagbo regime (2000s) as a form of contribution and recognition to the greatness of this country. Company Mouaye is composed of young artists from different villages of Ivory Coast and other West African countries, such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. The fresh mix of culture, diversity, and creativity in Company Mouaye preserves the heritage and beauty of African culture and brings it to life!

Barakissa Coulibaly brings young talented artists to the stage in hopes of promoting and enhancing the value of Ivorian cultural heritage in the form of artistic expression; through the use of different masks, rhythms, songs, and traditional dance. There is now a future filled with hope in Ivory Coast and a river of opportunities for future generations.

More Information at theorangepeel.net and zansamusic.com.

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SOUMU: A Celebration of West African Music, Food & Dance…featuring Zansa

On Saturday, February 25 from 6 to 10 p.m., the YMI Cultural Center at 39 S. Market St. sets the stage for Asheville’s first Soumu, or in West African lingo, a celebration of dancing, singing, food, and music. The evening will offer a dinner of flavors from West Africa, including seafood soupe kandia and chicken and vegetable mafé, plus wines and beer from Pisgah and Wedge brewing companies.

Entertainment includes West African drumming and dance demonstrations, a performance by Belle Afrique, and music by Asheville’s contemporary Ivorian afropop ensemble Zansa, featuring members of Afromotive.

Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 for ages 12 and younger, and include dinner, two drink tickets, and an evening of culture and West African entertainment. All proceeds benefit Adama Dembele in an effort to help him get his permanent Green Card for U.S. citizenship.

Adama Dembele is a 33rd generation djembe player from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, who has performed with various internationally recognized acts on three continents, including Oumou Sangare, Angelique Kidjo, and Salif Keita. He has lived in Asheville for five years, teaching drumming workshops in town and across the country and performing with local bands, including Afromotive, Toubab Krewe, and Zansa.

Adama was a LEAF in Schools and Streets instructor in 2011. Other teaching experiences include regular drumming workshops at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, Stone Academy in Greenville, SC, and in Asheville at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School and Erwin and TC Robertson high schools. Adama is a cultural gem whose mission is to share his musical heritage. This event is an effort to help keep him here.Special thanks to our sponsors: Chef Abdoul, Pisgah Brewing Company, The Wedge Brewery, and the YMI Cultural Center.

For more details visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/218988491525299/

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Afromotive performs at The Abella Café in Blacksburg ~ October 29th ~ West African Rhythms, Funk & Dance

Based in Asheville, NC, Afromotive is helping to start a new wave of uptempo afrobeat music– fusing West African rhythms, song forms, and instrumentation with funk, improvisation, and straight-ahead dance beats.

Adama Dembele of Afromotive. Photo by Jon Leidel

Adding to the experience is thirty-third generation djembe player Adama Dembele from Cote d‘Ivoire. He has toured several continents, performing with various major acts such Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita, Affou Keita, Sogona Djata and many others. These traditional West African rhythms combined with a mentality that moves beyond pure traditionalism and into new realms of musical possibilities is what Afromotive brings to its audiences. It’s a sound that crosses musical and ethnic boundaries.

On their debut album SCARE TACTICS, Afromotive takes the raw energy of their live performance into the studio. This album is an elaboration on the language of afrobeat music, yielding a truly unique sound that is rooted in tradition. Afromotive also released their single, SIMBO in 2009.

Afromotive provides unique exciting music to “dive into,” describes Afromotive bass player Ryan Reardon, because it is fun to listen to and dance with a strong rhythm and groove. “There is no separation,” he said. “If the music is playing, you’re dancing. It’s one in the same. We bring a dance show.”

Called, “an explosive, performance-based group that does more than just play a show. The Afromotive strive to create an event.” ~ Matthew Godbey- Charleston Post & Courier

Afromotive is: Adama Dembele: djembe, congas, timbales, vocals; Ryan Reardon: bass, vocals; Adam Chase: drumset; Ben Hovey: trumpet, synth; Jason Moore: tenor sax; Justin Powell: keyboards; and Andrew Robinson: guitar, vocals.

Show Details at a Glance:

Afromotive

Abella Café
Friday, October 29, 2010

9:30pm, 18+
(540)-961-1488
204 Draper Rd
Blacksburg, VA 24060

www.Afromotive.com

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Funk and World Beats at the LAB for the World Cup Kickoff on Saturday, June 12th

Daytime Big Screen airing of the USA v. England game
Late night dance-party with Afromotive and Josh Blake’s Jukebox

It’s time to get excited for the worlds biggest sporting event! Come and celebrate the kickoff of the World Cup at the Lexington Ave Brewery, the LAB, in Asheville on Saturday, June 12th.  There is a full day and night planned with Funk , World Beats, and Soccer!

The folks at the Lexington Avenue Brewery are showing the first USA game (USA Vs. England) on a projector screen in their main room for the soccer community and fans in Asheville! Kick off is at 2:30pm. This year, The World Cup  is being held in South Africa. Get into the spirit with halftime and post game entertainment in by the Asheville Manding. Asheville Manding is Ryan Reardon and Adama Dembele from Afromotive along with Tasana Camara, who is a singer/kora player/balafon player from Guinea. The band is named after the Manding people of West Africa, one of the largest ethnicities and the “keepers of the flame” if you will, of traditional West African music.

The daytime event is a “suggested donation” benefit for former ABASA president and player Jack Brown and his family. Jack recently was admitted to the hospital with flu-like symptoms and ended up having a serious infection. It turned out that he had to battle a life threatening infection which resulted in the loss of his right leg. We are calling out to all soccer fans to come enjoy this game with a great crowd and atmosphere, and to donate what you can to Jack and his family as they begin to tackle a mountain of medical bills. Members of the soccer league will be taking donations at the door. There will also be a raffle following the game with some pretty sweet prizes.

The late-night dance party features music by Afromotive and Josh Blake JukeBox in the back room at the LAB. The doors open at 9pm with JBJB starting around 9:30pm. Afromotive headlines and the music will go til 2am. The cost for the show is $7.

Adama Dembele. Photo by Jon Leidel.

Afromotive:
Afromotive is creating a new wave of high energy dance music fusing West African rhythms and instrumentation with and American funk and pop sensibility for an experience that can only be described as infectious. Proudly born as a multi-ethnic crew in progressive Asheville, NC, the band has earned a formidable reputation over four years of relentless touring and festival appearances. At their core is thirty-third generation djembe player Adama Dembele from Ivory Coast, West Africa. He has performed with many prominent world acts including Oumou Sangare, Salif Keita, and Sogona Djata, to name a few. Adama’s vast knowledge of West African rhythms and intercontinental touring experience combines with his American counterparts’ hook-laden song writing and polished production for a fresh new take on the world beat genre. With positive reviews and sales of their debut full-length studio album and appearances at various national and regional festivals, including Bonnaroo, Joshua Tree Music Festival, and Echo Project, Afromotive continues to share their passion and energy with the masses.

Josh Blake

Josh Blake’s Jukebox:
On route to Jamaica in January 1997, Josh stopped in Asheville, N.C. to visit some of his friends. Soon thereafter he moved to Asheville to help establish the musical force known as GFE. A multidimensional artist, Josh’s musical understanding is based on his 16 years as guitarist and songwriter. With a travelers knowledge of our world, Josh aims to use his talents to bring unity and jubilation, to spread earth consciousness and end social injustice.

Josh Blake’s Jukebox is composed of some of Asheville’s finest musicians. The drummer Patrick Thomas and guitarist Casey Kramer are from the funky Asheville powerhouse Strut. The band also features Kyle Colclasure on bass from the local hip hop band GFE and more recently Super Collider. Affectionately dubbed “The Hot Sauce” female vocalists Carolyn Smith and Marisa Albert spice up the show with beautiful harmonies. Keyboardist Frank Mapstone from Yo Mamma’s Big Fat Booty Band and The Big Old Nasty Get Down has been known to join in on the fun. Multi-instrumentalist, Matt Williams, adds to the diverse sound of Josh Blake’s Jukebox. It is not unusual for Josh to include any number of special guests during his performances. Along with packing local venues, Josh was honored to have a song selected for the 2008 Mooged Out album, and has been chosen to play many of Asheville’s special events and festivals. With songs that range from rock to ragtime, hip-hop to funk, Josh Blake’s shows deliver what most listeners crave…great diverse music with lyrics that emphasize proper intention.

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