Drum classes, a community concert, and an interactive dance class on Saturday benefit the nature center’s building campaign and the conservation of 88 acres of boreal forest.
October 17 | Windsor, MA
Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center holds its 17th annual Berkshire Drum and Dance Fest on Saturday, October 17 at Windsor Town Hall, with the theme “Honoring the Traditions.” Master drummer Namory Keita of Sangbarala, Guinea, leads the drum classes, and dancer and drummer Seny Daffe, also from Guinea, joins him as a guest artist.
The day starts with drum classes. A multi-level class runs from 10:30am to noon, and space is available. An intergenerational, multi-level class with Keita follows from 1 to 2:30pm.
At 3pm, Keita, Daffe, Gelinas, and Dan Cohen perform an intergenerational community concert and lead an interactive dance class, with members of Gaia Roots, the Berkshire and Valley Rhythm Keepers, and the Offbeat Womyn Drummers. A donation of $20 or more is suggested at the door, and walk-ins are welcome for the concert and dance class only. The day also has crafts, a bake sale, and a silent auction. Sponsors include the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and the Central Berkshire Fund.
Keita, a Malinke djembe master, is the lead drummer of his village of Sangbarala, in Guinea’s Hamana region. He studied with the master drummers Famoudou Konaté and Nansady Keita and plays in a traditional village style, as opposed to the faster, show-oriented style. He now lives and teaches in New England. Daffe was born in Conakry, started studying dance and drum at 10, and came to the U.S. in 2006. Known as a dancer, singer, and drummer, he plays djembe, krin, bolon, balafon, and the dunun drums, and he has taught and performed with Jeh Kulu Dance and Drum Theater in Burlington, Vermont.
Gelinas, who also directs Tamarack Hollow, has performed, taught, and studied West African and Caribbean drumming, singing, and culture for more than 30 years. She co-founded Gaia Roots in the 1990s with Shanti Starr to empower women in drumming. She and Cohen lead the Berkshire and Valley Rhythm Keepers, a community drum group of players from teenagers to seniors.
Proceeds support the festival’s artists and Tamarack Hollow’s year-round environmental education for all ages, plus the “Raise the Roof” fund to finish its sustainable nature and cultural education center and keep conserving 88 acres of highland boreal forest in Windsor. Gelinas and Cohen founded the nonprofit in 2013 and broke ground on the building in August 2024. Its mission is to “inspire environmental and cultural awareness, appreciation and stewardship.”
Windsor Town Hall, 1927 Route 9, Windsor, MA. Registration and information: aimee@gaiaroots.com, or tamarackhollownatureandculturalcenter.org.
