GIG REVIEW: Sabar Challenge Afterparty at Sociëteit SEXYLAND

After going to see Dele Sosimi a couple weeks ago and not being too inspired, I went to the afterparty of the Sabar Challenge Festival 2017 (dance style from Senegal) with Bianca, Gaëlle and Gwen on invitation from our percussion teacher, Martin. 

Now, THIS was more like it! African bands and dancing! 

First up was a band called Nusodia, a West-African percussion and dance group, based on the traditions of Burkina Faso. As a coincidence, the guy who Bianca and I bought our djembe from (and his girlfriend) were both in the band! 

They had many different percussion instruments including djembe and the dancers were playing this wooden 'salad bowl'-shape with beads on the outside and each time they threw the bowl and spun it around it would make a sound. But more than the percussion, their unique sound comes from the melodic instruments called 'balafon' (xylophone) and the 'ngoni' (African harp). 

Other performances that evening were Sysmo (percussion group using a unique system with more than 100 hand signals), Taneber dancing and Ussu & The New Balansa. 

More about Nusodia:
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