(upbeat music) -: Hi, nice to see you. I'm Sister Sumayya. And I am going to share a dance, song, and drum rhythm with you today. The name of the dance – and some of you may already know it, and if you do, please sing along, if you know the dance, please dance along, if you know the drum rhythm, please drum along with me. So the name of the dance and the name of the drum rhythm is "Fanga." Fanga is drum rhythm. Alaffia – yeah, see, I know you remember – alaffia is welcome from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. And ase is power. In some circles they say it means, "And so it is. "And so will be it." But I like to use it as power, and personal power, we all have personal power.
So fanga, drum rhythm. Alaffia, welcome. Ase, power. Drum rhythm, welcome, power. Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase. This song is a call-and-response, meaning, when I – I'm the caller, and you'll be the response. I call and you respond. We don't sing together, we sing separate. It's like an echo. I'll say it first and then you say it. Fanga. Alaffia. Ase. Ase. Good. Fanga. Alaffia. Ase. Ase. One more time, my turn. Fanga. Your turn. Alaffia. Ase. Ase. Very good! Now I'm gonna sing. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪ Your turn. There you go. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪ Two more times. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪ Nice.
♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪ Now we're gonna go into ase, ready? ♪ Ase, ase ♪ ♪ Ase, ase ♪ ♪ Ase, ase ♪ ♪ Ase, ase ♪ Very nice. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪ (clapping) You see I'm clapping,
(clapping) keep time.
(clapping) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(clapping) (clapping) Good, very good! Remember we have to keep time,
(clapping) so the way we keep time is snapping (snaps), clapping (claps), or tapping (taps). Snap (snaps), clap (claps), tap (taps). Snap (snaps), clap (claps), tap (taps). That's how you keep time in music, that's how you keep time in dance.
So now I'm gonna keep time with my feet while I sing. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) You see I'm keeping time with my feet. (tapping) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) That's called the downbeat. (tapping) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) (tapping) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) Now I'm gonna add my hands,
(tapping) up to the sky, here we go!
(tapping) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) (tapping) Can you do it with me? ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) (tapping) Yes? Up to the sky, and down to the earth. There's a poem: from my mouth, we welcome, and from our hearts, we reach down to the earth. That's what your hands are translating. That's the language. From our mouths, we welcome! And from our hearts, we reach down to the earth.
Yes? I'm going to play the drum while you do the dance. Maybe we should go over it one more time. ♪ Fanga, alaffia ♪ See that? Now go to the earth, go back. ♪ Ase, ase ♪ ♪ Fanga, alaffia ♪ ♪ Ase, ase ♪ Yes? ♪ Fanga, alaffia ♪ ♪ Ase, ase ♪ Yes? We're gonna go to the drum, now you're gonna do the dance, while I play the rhythm. Gonna introduce my drum to you, this is called the djembe, this is the bowl, this is the stem. Just like the human body, the drum has to breathe in order for it to get the maximum sound from it. Now, this is goat skin, I call these (taps drums) my kids, because kids (taps drums) are goats! Anyway, the middle of the drum is the bass (pats drum), and the side is the tone (pats drum).
Bass (drum beat), tone (drum beat). Now you can, yourself, get a pot, a pan, or your thighs (pats thighs), or your hands (claps), and clap the rhythms. (thigh pats and hand claps) Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(claps) Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(claps) Right? Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(drumbeats) Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(drumbeats) You can use your thighs! Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(Thigh pats) Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(Thigh pats) So there's one bass and three tones, yes? Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(drumbeats) Bass, tone-tone-tone!
(drumbeats) You ready to dance it? All right. I'll do the singin', and you're gonna sing while you dance. Now there's something called the musical break that I'm gonna play for you that tells you when to start the dance, when to change the dance step, and when to stop the dance.
That's called a musical break. A musical break, and it sounds like this. (drumbeats) That's the musical break. (drumbeats) That tells the dancers and the drummers and anyone else in the city, in the village that there's something going on at Sister Sumayya's house. Sister Sumayya is getting ready to dance, Sister Sumayya is getting ready to sing, Sister Sumayya is getting ready to drum. That's called the musical break. (drumbeats) Okay? And then we go into the rhythm. I'm gonna play that, and then I'll start the song. That's gonna be your cue. (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) Did you get it? Did you understand that? I'll go over one thing. (tapping) bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom buh-bom! bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom buh-bom! bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom buh-bom! bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom buh-bom! bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom bop! Yes? That's your job.
Bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom buh-bom! bop, bom-bom-bom, bom-bom bop! Now that you're keeping time with your feet. ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) (tapping) Very good, very good. And then you're gonna jump four times, ase. ♪ Ase (claps), ase ♪ ♪ Ase (claps), ase ♪ ♪ Ase (claps), ase ♪ ♪ Ase (claps), ase ♪ Fanga? ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(tapping) Okay, let's try it with the music! Remember the musical break! Here we go. Take a deep breath in (breaths in), let it out with sound (breaths out).
Deep breath in through the nose (breaths in), let it out with sound (breaths out). Deep breath in through the nose (breaths in), let it out with sound (breaths out). One more, in through the nose (breaths in) let it out with sound (breaths out). (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) ♪ Ase ♪
(drumbeats) ♪ Ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) ♪ Ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) ♪ Ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) ♪ Ase, fanga ♪
(drumbeats) ♪ Fanga, alaffia, ase, ase ♪
(drumbeats) (drumbeats) Very good! (claps) I know you're out there, it was good to spend time with you today! My name is Sister Sumayya, and stay safe, be kind, and spread joy. Thank you. (upbeat music).