Soli Drum and Dance Festival 2006

There were 300 attendees at the 2006 Soli Drum and Dance Festival and there were sign ups of twelve students for workshops. Significant in the attendance was that most of the audience remained at the Festival throughout the day. People came from throughout the region including Ft. Worth, Dallas, Arlington, New Mexico, Arkansas, Houston, Austin and McKinney.

The Old Settler’s Park was an excellent setting and offered open access for the community. The participation coupled with the excellent performances did create excitement and three months later, people are still commenting on the excitement of the day. This translated into 2007 attendance and much higher participation in the 2007 workshops.

The 2006 Soli Drum and Dance Festival was highlighted by leadership of Moussa Diabate in the dance program and Yamoussa Camara in the drum program. Their dedication, performance and instruction created an environment that has lead to more excitement and enthusiasm for the Soli Drum and Dance Festival and the drum and dance community at large.

Soli Drum and Dance Festival 2007

There were 400 attendees at the Soli Drum and Dance Festival and there were sign ups of forty seven students for workshops. Significant in the attendance was that most of the audience participated in all of the workshops and remained at the Festival throughout the weekend People came from throughout the region including Ft. Worth, Dallas, Arlington, New Mexico, Arkansas, Houston, Austin and McKinney.

There was almost unanimous acclaim for the festival and feedback indicated a definite commitment to return next year. Additionally, the audience participation portion of the Festival was very well attended with 47 people attending the dance classes and 35 people attending the drum classes.

The change of the performance to a two day festival added a learning environment that generated much more interest from the serious drumming community throughout the region. Forty seven students paid the fees for full class participation.

Expanded classes and direct participation were a key element of this year’s Festival.

The Old Settler’s Park was an excellent setting and offered open access for the community.

The headline teachers and performers were Mamadouba “Mohamed” Camara, leading the drumming and drum workshops, with Muminatou Camara and Moussa Diabate leading the dance program. They delivered a high powered set of workshops and performances that all attendees who weren’t in the workshops stayed to watch and listen. The professionalism of this team of masters from Guinea, West Africa was a compelling tribute to their culture and a clear demonstration of the accessibility of the musical arts of Guinea, West Africa.