We took a dance workshop with Alpha and Jamas to prepare for our Living Haggadah performance. They told us about where they came from in West Africa and some of their customs. Everyone knows how to dance because music and dance were a large part of their culture, and they had different beats for different celebrations. They named the songs after the beats, and everyone drummed and danced together. Jamas and Alpha taught us about different tribes and languages in West Africa, and we learned about the similarities and differences between Africa and Canada.
The drums matched the rhythm of the dance, and the drummer decided how long we would perform each ‘move’ for. We learned a song to start the dance, and then we performed the celebratory dance. The dances were new and different, and it was interesting and fun to learn something new. We are excited to incorporate these moves into our dances for the Living Haggadah!
– Grade 5 Student
