Ouikahilo teaches a West African Dance Workshop at Ithaca College.
As part of the annual “Music Beyond Borders” event to celebrate International Education Week, the Slutzker Center for International Services is hosting artist-in-residence Biboti Ouikahilo, master African dancer, drummer and teacher from the Ivory Coast, West Africa.
Ouikahilo is teaching four traditional West African Dance workshops open to all students, faculty and staff. The workshops will culminate with a piece in the “Music Beyond Borders” show on Nov. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at the Schine Underground, sponsored by SU’s Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available at the Schine Box Office.
The African dance workshops will take place on Wednesdays from 9-10 p.m. Dates and locations include:
Oct. 16: Schine Underground, Schine Student Center
Oct. 23 and 30: Jabberwocky Café, Schine Student Center
Nov. 6: 304ABC Panasci, Schine Student Center
Ouikahilo was born in the Sinfra Progouri West region of the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and spent 17 years performing and touring throughout world with the Ivory Coast National Dance and Drum Company. In 1997, Ouikahilo came to America to create Africa Azolou, a celebratory show of Africa, Brazil and the United States, which toured through Ohio, Chicago and New York City. He then spent six years sharing his artistic talents in New York City, and in 2000-2001, he was chosen as a lead African drummer for the Jimmy Buffett Summer Tour.
In 2003, Ouikahilo moved to Syracuse and founded Wacheva Cultural Arts, a nonprofit multicultural dance and drum organization. Since then, he has taught and performed at numerous colleges and universities across Central New York. In 2008, he opened his own dance and drum studio in the Westcott Nation on Harvard Place, offering multicultural dance, drum and fitness classes for children and adults in the surrounding community. For more information on Ouikahilo and Wacheva Cultural Arts, visit http://www.wacheva.com.
To participate in the workshops, contact Ouikahilo at wacheva@gmail.com.
