Jacky Essombe

SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2010

Scottish Cultural Centre – 8886 Hudson Street

Featuring

THIONE DIOP & YEKE YEKE

** With West African drum workshop at 12:45 pm and dance workshop at 2:15 pm

Dear friends,
My birthday is on June 16^th, and what better way to celebrate it than to spend time with my friends and family? I would like to invite you to join the Spirit of the Village on Saturday, June 5^th at 6 pm! This is your opportunity to enjoy an authentic homemade African dinner, stories, and traditional music and dance. The event has been consistently sold out since it was first held, so please make sure to get your ticket as soon as possible, as I would really love to see you there! You can either come to the workshops in the afternoon, to the whole evening event or to the show only at 9 pm. This is my way of honoring my ancestry and sharing my love for my culture with people around me.

**A 50/50 draw will be held in order to help me raise funds for my trip to my country from June 15^th to July 25^th. Your contribution will be much appreciated.**

This year’s event is themed: The Night of the Griots.

Keepers of West African culture, Griot families are comprised of traditional storytellers, musicians, drummers and dancers, and have kept the culture and the traditions alive over hundreds of generations through their art form. Their presence is essential to all celebrations in the lives of West Africans. It is with stories, songs, drum and dance that the community is united, strengthened and elevated and the rites of passage of its members’ lives are celebrated.

About Thione Diop:

Thione Diop, Master drummer from Senegal, West Africa, is widely recognized for his powerfully expressive Djembe performances. He is descended from an ancestral line of Griot drummers in Senegal, and is a master of the djembe, sabar, tama, and djun djun. In 1998, Thione moved to Seattle to teach and perform; a year later he formed Yeke Yeke, a percussion ensemble that has performed the traditional rhythms of West Africa to delighted audiences for the last twelve years.

Thione has shared the stage with such noteworthy musicians as Poncho Sanchez, Alpha Blondy, Prince Diabate and Max Romeo. In Senegal, Thione has collaborated with renowned Griot artists Babou Laye Cissokho; master Kora player, Thierno Kouyate; Orchestra Baobab saxophonist, Thierno Ba; Xalam master, Samba Ndoc Tama player for Cheikh Lo and singer Abdoulaye N'Diaye. Thione has also organized and produced regional events such as The Spirit of West Africa Festival, bringing Senegalese and other West African artists to NW audiences, and is co-producing a documentary film, Modern Day Griots with director Malika Weeden.

Check out videos of Thione Diop’s performance: http://www.thionediop.com/thione/Videos.html

Other fabulous performers for the evening include:

·         Jean-Pierre Makosso, Actor, Director, Storyteller, Writer and African Dancer http://www.makossovillage.com

·         Etienne Cakpo from Benin http://gansango.com.

·         And a special performance by Jacky Essombe’s Afro’Robics dance students! They are truly amazing! With drumming by the ASW Drum Collective!

**Special guest appearance by Vedic Teacher Jeffrey Armstrong! Click here to view your invitation for his new BOOK LAUNCH EVENT in Vancouver, BC

In the community spirit of a traditional African village, this event is for the entire family. In my culture, grand parents, parents, children and grand children all dance to the same music, all sing the same songs. When it is time to celebrate life, no one is excluded because of gender or age! So please bring your children and your entire family to celebrate together!

The details:

What:
Drum & Dance Workshops + Fabulous African Dinner + African storytelling + African dance + African music + FUN and LAUGHTER

Where:
Scottish Cultural Centre – 8886 Hudson street (@
73^rd avenue , 3 blocks West of Oak street)

When:
Saturday, June 5th, 2010

12:45 pm – West African drum workshop by master drummer Thione Diop from Senegal (75 min)

2:15 pm – West African dance workshop by professional dancer Etienne Cakpo from Benin (75 min)

6:00 pm – Doors open

6:00 pm – 7 pm – African market by Yasse Afro Arts, A Small World Store & Ten Thousand Villages

7:00 pm to 8 pm only – African dinner (menu available below)

7:45 pm – to 11 pm - Entertainment !!!

***HOW MUCH***

AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS:
·               $15 in advance for each workshop ($20 at the door) – only $10 with ticket for the full evening event ($15 at the door)

·               Free for children under 10, or $5 for children age 10-15

Pre-registration for the workshops: Please email me at jessombe@jackyessombe.com with subject: Registration for dance & drum workshops, and specify which one you are attending if you are not coming to both. PLEASE do USE this subject line, as this will allow me to more easily identify your registration, considering the amount of messages I receive.
**Pre-registration available until June 4^th (I will NOT be checking emails on June 5^th, therefore if you wait until the day of the event to register, the door price will apply).

**Dance workshop by internationally renowned male dancer from Benin, Etienne Cakpo!

Contemporary & Traditional African Dance with Etienne Cakpo Etienne Cakpo (photo by Adrian McDermott) is a professional dancer, choreographer and musician from Benin, West Africa. He teaches and performs traditional African dance from Benin as well as contemporary African dance styles, and has been building his dance repertoire for over twenty years. In addition to conducting personal research to learn regional dances and musical traditions in his country, Etienne has worked in remote areas of Benin with international ethnomusicologists, musicians and filmmakers. Currently based in Seattle, Etienne contributes regularly to the cultural arts community in Western Washington, and performs in solo events and group shows. He is director of Gansango Music & Dance.

More info from: Gansango.com

**Drum workshop - Thione Diop, master percussionist, will teach djembe technique and traditional rhythms from West Africa. Class is open to everyone who has a love for percussion (beginners and advanced students welcome).

EVENING ONLY:
·         Adults: $35/person (advance) - $45/person at the door
·         Seniors & students: $29/person (advance) - $35 at the door ·         Afro’Robics students: $25 in advance (available at class only)

·         Child 10 to 15 years old: $15 (advance) – $20 at the door

·         FREE for children under 10!

**Show only: $19 at the door – 9 PM**

Advance tickets for the full evening are available until Friday, June 4^th. Limited seating for dinner (120 maxi), please reserve early, it helps with the planning (you know, grocery shopping…)!

Get tickets:

- at any Afro’Robics class, OR

- at Ten Thousand Villages, 1204 Commercial Drive, 2909 West Broadway and on Granville Island (1660 Duranleau St), OR

- at A Small World store at 2120 Commercial Drive @ 5^th ave, OR

- online with Ticket Web.

Please click on the link below

Get your tickets in person at my Afro'Robics classes at The Roundhouse (yaletown) or Kitsilano community centres. Please check out the class schedule and the exact address of each centre here.

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PS: If you want a summary version that you can copy into your event page, here it is:

The Spirit of the Village – Saturday, June 5, 2010

Cameroonian dancer and entertainer Jacky Essombe invites you to The Night of the Griots, sharing food, stories, music and dance. This event is about family and community: grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren spending time together, in celebration. The Spirit of the Village is an event that brings happy people together and lifts the spirit of those who need it! So please bring your entire family to celebrate together! You will enjoy a line-up of international artists and be treated to a delicious home cooked African meal.

*** Performers for the evening include: Senegalese Griot THIONE DIOP & Yeke Yeke, dancers Jacky Essombe and Etienne Cakpo and storyteller Jean-Pierre Makosso.

Special guest appearance by Vedic Teacher Jeffrey Armstrong! Click here to view your invitation for his new BOOK LAUNCH EVENT in Vancouver, BC

Time: Doors & African market at 6:00 pm, dinner at 7 pm - Cost: $25 to $35 (advance) $35 to $45 (door) - $15/child 10 to 15 years old – free for children under 10! Show only at 9pm: $19 – Venue: Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson street(@ 73rd ave, near Oak) – More details at: www.JackyEssombe.com - Tickets available online.

With West African drum and dance workshops at 12:45 pm and 2:15 pm - $15 in advance for each workshop ($20 at the door) – only $10 with ticket for the full evening event ($15 at the door) - Free for children under 10, or $5 for children age 10-15.
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I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ON SATURDAY, JUNE 5^TH.

Be well. Jacky
TICKETS at Ticket Web – please click on the link below