When Rachel Bangoura began studying West African music roughly two decades ago, she impressed other djembe players by tuning her own drums.
With her show Drum to Infinity, she presents a unique blending of Mande heritage and Jewish spirituality. The teachings of Isaac Luria, printed in the 1573 work Etz Chaim, are sung on stage and are fused with Orisha spirit dances usually practiced by the Yoruba people, who believe the Orisha are sent by Olodumare, the creator of all.
At a performance last week at the Suzanne Dellal Center in Tel Aviv, the dancers delighted and awed the audience, which rewarded them with wave after wave of cheers and applause. “I took an African dance workshop once,” I heard one woman in the audience whisper, “it takes unbelievable amounts of strength.”
