African dance classes come to Pure Life

Published 12:00 am Saturday, January 9, 2016

Staff report

Jeen Rooks, left, and Carol Sullivan lead an African dance at a restaurant in Carrollton in an undated handout photo.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/01/web1_AfricanDrummingWEB.jpgJeen Rooks, left, and Carol Sullivan lead an African dance at a restaurant in Carrollton in an undated handout photo.

Submitted

LaGRANGE —The Center for Mindful Explorations and Pure Life Studios are slated to present an African dance class Saturday.

The workshop will focus on three traditional Guinean rhythms: Kassa, Yankadi and Makru, said Maggie McDonald, owner of Pure Life Studios.

The culture and stories behind each dance taught will be led by Jeen Rooks and Carol Sullivan at Pure Life Studios.

“Jeen and Carol show tremendous joy in what they do,” McDonald said. “They are irresistible and real. They are fun and energetic and we will be learning West African Dance to live drumming.”

Two sessions are scheduled: a morning session from 10:30 a.m. to noon and an afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The morning session is $30 and the full day is only $50. Doors open at 10 a.m. Same day registration is available. Early registration is recommended due to space, said Susan Marshall, The Center for Mindful Explorations owner.

Both Rooks and Sullivan are drummers and professional dancers with Ten Blocks Away, a Carrollton-based traditional West African Drumming group. Rooks also holds a bachelors in kinesiology — the study of movement — from Auburn University and is currently studying to become a chiropractor.

Sullivan holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Indiana University, where her studies focused on the practice of Guinean dance and drumming in Xalapa, Mexico. She also earned a bachelor’s of arts in dance from the University of South Florida.

To register for the workshop, email mindfulx@yahoo.com or visit https://mindfulx.wordpress.com for information on community meditation.

Pure Life Studios, an acoustic listening room, is located at 206 Clark St. in LaGrange. For more information about upcoming concerts visit Pure Life Studios on Facebook, contact Maggie McDonald at maggie@purelifelagrange.com or visit http://business.lagrangechamber.com/events.

Reach the LaGrange Daily News at 706-884-7311.