Current Outreach Programs

Let’s All Dance!

Program Name: Let’s All Dance!
Program Focus: Arts Education - Dance Classes for Children K-5th grade plus Middle School grades 6th, 7th and 8th.
Presentation Format: Dance classes in the schools adapted for specific curriculums and age groups, leading to a final performance.

Benefits: Meets the need for exposure to dance arts programs at the elementary school level. An introduction to eurhythmics and creative movement using multiple dance forms, including ballet, modern, hip-hop, and African dance.

  • Let's All Dance sends both musicians and dance teachers to teach dance in the Marin County Public Elementary Schools. For the past three years we have taught dance to over 700 children from Kindergarten through 5th grade. All classes culminate in a performance done by the students for their parents and fellow classmates. These performances are well attended, extremely popular and met with great acclaim!

This year we provided an extensive dance hip-hop program at Coleman Elementary School. Third and fourth graders learned and performed hip-hop dances, which they helped to choreograph. This was affiliated with the Youth In Arts Program in San Rafael.

Our dance programs have enriched children with a variety of special needs. All challenged and handicapped populations are always included in each dance class whether they are in wheel chairs or accompanied by an aid.

Faculty

West African

Ousseynou Kouyate comes from a long family line of Griots (known as storytellers of history). The family lineage starts in Mali and expands to Senegal, West Africa where he and his brother Assane (The Kuoyate twins) were raised. They spent their childhood learning their families’ histories through music, song and dance. The duo have toured all over the globe as lead dancers with the National Ballet of Senegal and various famous African Artists such as Yousour Ndour, Ami Koita and Baaba Maal to name just a few. They both teach advanced levels of West African dance to children and adults. Their flare has amazed many audiences with spectacular high-impact dance movements infused with traditional African melodies. They teach throughout the Bay Area for students of all levels in many outreach and private dance workshops and institutions.

Naby Bangoura

Naby Bangoura learned traditional West African dance during village ceremonies and celebrations in Guinea, West Africa. At the young age of fifteen, Bangoura started dancing professionally with Les Merveilles de Guinee, founded by world-renowned dance choreographer and artistic director Kemoko Sano. Bangoura's dance style has been greatly influenced by Moussa Camara and Yamoussa Soumah, both veteran dancers of the world famous Les Ballet Djoliba and Les Merveilles de Afrique.  In 1997, Les Merveilles toured throughout Guinee from the coast to the forest to learn more about all the different regional cultural dances and traditions. In 1997, Les Merveilles also performed throughout Mali and Burkino Faso. In 1998, Sano's Les Merveilles brought him to perform in major venues throughout the United States. Known for his energetic and fluid dance style, master dance teacher Naby Bangoura has been performing and teaching West African dance, Guinea style, in dance studios and dance workshops all over the United States. He has also hosted dance workshops in Japan, Australia, and Guinea. He is currently based in the Bay Area and teaching West African dance at the University of San Francisco, ODC, City Dance in San Francisco, the Fairfax Pavilion, the 418 Project in Santa Cruz, and local elementary and high schools.

Duncan J. Draper

Duncan J. Draper has been a multi-instrumental modern dance accompanist in the San Francisco Bay area for the last twelve years. Mr. Draper has worked for many dance studios, teachers and dance company workshops including Joe Goode, ODC, Stephen Pelton, Robert Moses, and Taylor 2. He blends hand-drums, marimba, and keyboards to create unique music for dance classes and performances. He currently works with Shuster, Draper and Bay (Marin County's only three man jazz quartet). Duncan has been the lead percussionist at the College of Marin Dance Department and has worked with Cynthia Pepper for over 12 years as a composer for films, television and stage work. He has created the scores for the sort dance films: SandDance and Flutterby, which are now available on Amazon.com.



 

Tom Mayock

Tom Mayock recently finished a two-year contract with El Teatro Danza Contemporanea De El Salvador, a company comprised of diverse works including classical, indigenous and contemporary dance. Tom attended Cornish College of the Arts and has studied with Frank Bays, Pat Hon, Wade Madsen, Lila York, Paul Sanasardo, and Margaret Swarthout. He has danced with Ellen Bauer Dances', Printz Dance Project, Cornish Dance Theater, Ketchikan Ballet Theater, Nevada Dance Theater, Marin Dance Theatre, Marin Ballet. Tom has performed in corporate industrials, and in an award-winning independent dance film entitled: “SandDance”. Tom has performed, choreographed, and taught professionally in Seattle, Las Vegas, Alaska, throughout the Bay Area, and most recently in Washington DC. He currently

 

Lily Oglesby

Lily Oglesby has taught dance and theater both in San Francisco and Marin County for the past six years. In San Francisco, she taught at several public and privates schools and at the American Conservatory Theatre. In Marin County, she has taught dance and choreographed for children of all ages at Mary Silveira Elementary School, Sun Valley School, and St. Mark's School for the Marin Dance Theatre “Let's All Dance!” performing arts programs. She choreographed "High School Musical" at St. Mark's and "Grease" at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in San Francisco in 2007. Lily   performed as a dancer and singer in the 2007 Mountain Play production of "Hair" directed by James Dunn. She was also a guest performer at The Stapleton Theater Company production of "Fame." Lily holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University.

 

"Let's All Dance!" Team

Letter from McCoy

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