Summer, African polyphonies and an energizing workshop with the wonderful Anita Daulne. The whole week music bath will be complemented by drumming and rythmical exercises by a percussionist Tomáš Kerle. Come to recharge to Slavonice!
SINGING AFRICAN POLYPHONY
In the Lingala language, "Mayaka" means "pearl necklace". Each participants voice will become a pearl in a necklace contributing its unique significance to a whole in which the voices intertwine and unite. A play of voices, sounds, hisses, whistling and swinging rhythms will create a bridge connecting the African musical feeling based on everyday life in nature and the urban experience of Europeans. The lecturer who has labeled this kind of search "Afropean music" will offer the participants a possibility to discover their own, perhaps surprising, means of vocal expression and to experience joyful, energetic and emotional music in which everybody is both a soloist and a part of a chorus of many voices. The workshop is open to all who wish, need and have the courage to sing regardless of their experience.
Born in Congo, Anita Mahdia Daulne is a founding member of the world-renowned vocal ensemble Zap Mama. For many years, she has studied African musical traditions, especially Pygmy, Budu, Zulu and other tribes' singing. She strives to bring the African heritage to the Western world.
For more information about Anita Daulne click HERE.
A complementary subject will be rhythmic exercises led by percussionist Tomáš Kerle.
Under Tomáš’s guidance (www.cestarytmu.cz), we will be able to penetrate the secrets of African rhythms. We will focus on the body-voice-rhythm relationship and, of course, on the various techniques for playing the West African djembe and bass drums.
We will show that playing a rhythmic instrument in a group has its own simple rules that make it possible for all players to flow together in a rhythmic stream and at the same time inspire one another. Whilst playing you’ll be relaxed, mentally alert and aware of everything that’s going on around you.
Slavonice is a small Rennaisance town in the middle of a beautiful landscape.
The participants are expected to arrive at Slavonice on Saturday. In the evening there will be a meeting with a screening of a documentary film about the Zap mama group. The lessons starts in the morning of Sunday 18th and totals six teaching days. The classes will take place in a room ocated on the Renaissance town square. Every day, the participants will have three hours of singing and 90 mins of rythm exercises and drumming after lunch and a closing lecture (purely vocal on one day and combining both lecturers on the other day - alternatively). We'll specify the details later. The workshop will be ended by a public performance in one of the picturesque locations of Slavonice on Friday 23rd and concluded by a group breakfast in the morning of Saturday 24th. The lessons will be given in English and French (Anita mixes both) and interpreted to Czech.
Information
If requested, we can book for you accommodation in the clean but simple Secesní dům pensión (see pictures HERE ) in 2, 3 and 4-bed rooms. The price of the accommodation alone is CZK 300 for an apartment or CZK 250 per night for a bedroom with shared facilities. See www.ubytovani-slavonice.cz (only in Czech).
Those wishing to stay elsewhere can reserve their accomodation on their own and only pay the workshop + breakfast fee of CZK 6800. There is a number of other hotels and pensions in Slavonice and also a camping site few miles from the town. More information is available at the town web site www.slavonice-mesto.cz .
Important notice: we can ensure the accomodation in the Secesní dům just for participants who send the application form till 30th May. Later it is available by demand. Slavonice is an old, small town, one of the few in the Czech Republic to be preserved in its Renaissance appearance.
There's also a possibility of having lunches together - if there are more than 15 participants, we would have a cook (Petra Bernhardtová) preparing soup, main course and salad or a dessert for CZK 130 all together. We encourage you to go for this option, because you can rest more during the lunch break.
If you like our workshops and want to support us, you can even pay a bit more for the workshops. Add an extra CZK 350/600/1000 (you choose the amount) to the price and send the total amount to our account in the normal manner. You can read more about why and how to support Hlasohled and what we do with your gift by following the link Support Us.