[[mp3 spodcast_pyg_lit_fest]]
On this episode of Smile Politely Radio, we are joined by Djibril Camara and Mara Thacker, who discuss West African dance in C-U. Originally from Guinea in West Africa, Djibril has danced professionally for 17 years and was the principal choreographer and dancer with the Ballet du Afrique Noir, touring throughout Africa, Europe and the U.S. On the show, we’ll discuss the history of West African dance, explain the various styles and give details about how you can get involved. Djibril currently teaches weekly dance classes at the Channing-Murray in Urbana.
In addition, local literary person extraordinaire Caleb Curtiss joins us to discus the inaugural Pygmalion Literary Festival, which will run alongside the Pygmalion Music Festival this week in C-U on September 27-28. The event boasts a wide array of authors chosen for their prose and reading styles, including Dan Chaon, Matt Bell, Amelia Grey and James Greer. Plus there will be a book fair.
Smile Politely Radio airs each Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. on WEFT 90.1 FM in Champaign and is available as a podcast the following week.