LW Events
Ann Arbor Adult drum. Sep-13-2007 - Jun-01 (Thursdays, 7:15-8:45 pm)
Adult Dance Class in Ann Arbor. Sep-13-2007 - Jun-01 (Thursdays, 5:30-7pm)
Battle Creek Drum Classes. Jan-16 - May-28 (7-8:30 pm)
"I thought it was awesome. I liked all the beats and the music. They were all real good."
— Kimberly (12 years old), Howard City, Michigan
Ensemble
Like Water Drum & Dance now have their own website — please visit!
Like Water Drum & Dance is a Washtenaw County, Michigan-based percussion and dance troupe, showcasing traditional West African drumming and dancing, original compositions, as well as cover songs. Audiences are entertained and excited with complex and rapid drum figures, as well as energetic dance choreographies. Like Water Drum & Dance plays traditional West African instruments including djembes (goblet-shaped hand drum), dununs (bass drums), balafons (wooden xylophone), krin (log drum), as well as shakers and vocals. The shows are not only a blast, but also inspirational, as the group raises African and World cultural awareness, social consciousness, as well as the ideals of unity and community.
They hail from a wide area: Susan Light, Saginaw, MI; Nikki Gomez, Fenton, MI; Ryan & Dori Edwards, Jenabah Giacomelli and Sundance all of Chelsea, MI; Heather Foster, Kurt Maier, and Jeremiah Davis of Ann Arbor, MI; Julie Kouyate, Tom Short, Jaclyn Morrow and Sandra Pieriani of Ypsilanti, MI.
Like Water Drum & Dance was founded in September of 2000 by Ryan Edwards, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The group is an ensemble of musicians and dancers intrigued and inspired by West African drumming and dancing and the unique sense of community they create. Members share the responsibility of the various instruments on stage, trading often. Like Water Drum & Dance has performed throughout the Midwestern United States at music festivals, concert and club dates, parties, and in schools. Teaching is a big part of what Like Water Drum & Dance does. Often we find ourselves in schools offering lecture demonstrations, leading artist-in-residency programs, and the like. Bringing people together. Helping them have fun.
Read the Like Water Biographies page to learn more about the members of the ensemble.
Contexts
Bars and Clubs: Like Water Drum & Dance has found a warm and often wild welcome into the bar and club scene. Audiences seem first stunned then elated to be witness to such an ancient art form, made live and passionately played and danced in front of them. Among the music loving bar and festival goers, it seems everyone loves a drum & dance band.
Outdoor music festivals have also taken notice of Like Water Drum and Dance, as the group well fits an outdoor music and dance environment. With remarkably multi-generational audience appeal, Like Water excels at entertaining everyone, with infectious, visible music and beautiful and inspiring dance.
Schools: Education and entertainment come together at schools and universities, wherever Like Water is offering a demonstration. Exciting hand made music is framed by insightful and direct commentairies on the music, the dance, their origins and the culture that surrounds them, as well as subtle interpretations and lessons on life and living positively.
View the calendar of events to see where Like Water is performing.