African Song, Dance Troupe Promotes Cultural Diversity By Kay Woods Yvette Ortega performs with members of the African dance and drum group Leda, of Missoula, at the Performing Arts Center at Hamilton High School last week. African song and dance has much to teach Bitterroot Valley citizens about diversity, about love, about allowing the body to move naturally, says the leader of a Missoula drumming and dance group. Leda, short for 'les etudiants de l'Afrique' or "students of Africa," took to the performing arts stage at Hamilton High School Wednesday as part of a month-long celebration honoring national Black History Month. "The dance is a joyful celebration of the body," said Dorothy Morrison, the group's founder who in 1997 traveled to Africa to gain firsthand knowledge from the rhythmic sages of the past. "It's uplifting and positive," she said. Now in its 10th year of telling native stories through the ancient art of African drum and dance, the group is simply continuing a culture's oral tradition, said Morrison. "The fact that there were specific reasons it was created, it is important and enriching to understand the dance in relation to stories," she said. A handful of colorful drummers all trained in the ancient practice, set the rhythm for about a half-dozen female dancers adorned in colorful, loosely fitting dress. Quick, gyrating shoulders, undulating pelvises, arms scooping up and flying down again, wove the intricate tales of a distant, native past. Every rhythm, every movement, every song, tells a story of specific events long ago, Morrison said. Traditional stories of village prophecy, of the mysteries of love, of a mother's giving away of her son in his coming of age - "cinte" - a powerful lesson in letting go. "It's sad in a way because you're losing your son, but through the dance it empowers generations to go on," she said. A prophetic dance, "kaki lambe," featured a tall, mysterious mask with a bird-like beak that rises high into the air. And according to the custom, it comes every seven to 10 years to tell villagers of how crops will be, how many children will live, and of other issues of the village. And for Valentine's Day, the group performed a dance rhythm named after legendary "Dibon" birds that mate for life, but at night sleep in separate trees. "Although they are separated at night, their hearts will always be together," the ancient tale quotes. Following the performance was a "Yole," or "party dance," drawing about 50 people onto the stage to join the group in a crash course in the native movements. Morrison said the dance moves, while appearing free and unrehearsed, are surprisingly structured and complex. "The beauty is that it's easily accessible to beginners. It's fun to jump in and do it," she said. Breaking from the customs of the present and transformed to a time when music reflected a "very childlike innocence," the classes, Morrison said, aim to employ overtly rhythmic, often primal, movements that reconnect the body and mind, parts that have become split in today's pop culture. Moves that by Western standards are even often considered sinful, she said. "We've been trained in our culture not to move that way. It's a Puritanical thing, that the mind is better than the body," she said. "In Western culture, we don't hold those things in great honor." Morrison, who holds a master's degree in ethnomusicology, or the study of music as it relates to culture, says she's grateful for the experiences the group has afforded her in the area, particularly where there tends to be a lack of cultural diversity, such as the Bitterroot Valley, where the Forest Service sponsored the event. "I applaud their effort in trying to recognize the importance of (it)," she said. "We are really actually fortunate that, because of lack of diversity, it has enabled us as white folks to be visible in this art form." And because white people playing black music can sometimes lead to interracial tensions, she says, she's working with a similar musical group to close that gap. Morrison recently sponsored a band out of Oregon called Fore-Fote, featuring a mix of blacks and whites teaming together to bridge the cultural divide. Morrison said plans are underway to bring the group to Missoula in late May. Sharon DeHart, who traveled with her husband from Lolo to watch Leda perform, said she thought it was "pretty good", considering it isn't something the community is exposed to often. "It's better than nothing," said DeHart, one of few African-Americans who attended the event. Annette Wolf, who came for the dance party "at the spur of the moment," was excited to be a part of it. "This is awesome. I think it's great for people to come down to earth. It's really neat," she said. Selah Parker shared that sentiment, while chasing a toddler belonging to a member of the group. "Definitely, I think it's a good thing. It's good for people to experience something they wouldn't normally be able to," she said. Morrison noted she thinks the workshops are a great way for people of all ages to indulge the energy, even if they don't aspire to be proficient drummers. "It doesn't take 10 years of playing to enjoy participating in it," she said. For those interested in attending a dance workshop, or to get on a mailing list, contact Dorothy Morrison at: morrisondorothy@yahoo.com. The fee is $15 per class. Source: Ravalli News

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