Aimée Gelinas, Dan Cohen, Noel Staples-Freeman, and The Berkshire Rhythm Keepers perform at WANDER from 5 to 8 pm. This dynamic performance features stories and the cultural context of the rhythms, audience participation, and guest dancers.
The schedule will be as follows:
5:15 to 6 pm: Berkshire Rhythm Keepers led by Aimee & Dan with Noel as a guest dancer
6:15 to 7 pm: Interactive dance with Noel and audience participation plus live drumming and recorded music
7 to 7:15 pm: Berkshire Rhythm Keepers led by Aimee & Dan with Noel as a guest dancer
7:15 to 8 pm: Interactive dance with Noel and audience participation plus live drumming and recorded music
The Berkshire Rhythm Keepers are an intergenerational, multi-level community drum and song group founded and led by Aimée Gelinas M.Ed, Director of the Tamarack Hollow Nature and Cultural Center and co-founder of Gaia Roots and Trio Candela. The group is assisted by Dan Cohen. BRK participants attend Aimee’s weekly Monday evening drum and song classes at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts in Pittsfield, which is open to beginners, intermediate and advanced drummers. The group performs traditional music on folkloric instruments from West Africa and the Caribbean, as well as original creations. Members of BRK have been studying and performing together for 15+ years.
Noel Staples-Freeman is a lifelong educator, performer, and cultural ambassador based in Pittsfield. A graduate of Emerson College with a B.S. in Children’s Theatre/Performing Arts and Dance, Noel has dedicated over five decades to teaching and the performing arts both locally and internationally. Her formal dance training began at age 11 at The Billie Pope School of Dance in Roxbury, MA, and continued at The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts in Dorchester, The Art of Black Dance and Music in Cambridge, and the Koumpo West African Dance Company in Boston. Noel’s distinguished career includes notable performances such as the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s historic visit to Boston in 1990, appearances in DanceAfrica at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and performances at Jacob’s Pillow, where she also served as a teaching artist. Her work at Jacob’s Pillow helped introduce audiences and students to the richness of African and African Diaspora dance traditions. Guided by a deep commitment to being in community and with the people, Noel’s journey has brought her to Jamaica, Antigua, Senegal, Benin, and Ghana. These experiences have deepened her understanding of cultural traditions and reinforced her mission to honor and uplift the voices, movements, and stories of the African Diaspora.
Dance on Dunham is presented in partnership with Mill Town Foundation.
