Babacar                                                                   African Drumming Department

John Iverson & Kathy Fuller                             Japanese Taiko Drum Department

Taiko (the Japanese word for drum) has been played for
thousands of years as part of religious and secular ceremonies. More recently, in the last fifty years, the form of group taiko which you will see today has been developed as a performance art characterized by dynamic sound and movement. Established in 2004, San Diego Taiko is a group dedicated to this form of Japanese drumming. Their mission is to share the spirit of taiko with the San Diego community through
performances and workshops, and to provide an opportunity for local taiko players to polish their abilities. For additional information,
please see their website: www.sandiegotaiko.org.

Nana Yaw Asiedu                                              Children's Drumming Department

Nana is a teacher, a composer, a consultant, a musician and the founder of the "Ile Ayan Cultural Institution of Higher Learning".

At WBC he teaches Drumming to children and toddlers. Children have a way of having a pure acceptance and a non-judgmental approach to you. They rely on what they feel from you. Keeping in mind they don't know you. So they have a way to vibe you out quickly. This is why Nana loves teaching them: they make it so worthwhile and rewarding. He prefers to give love, history and culture to the children in hopes they will have a chance to make a difference in the very near future.

Juan Sanchez                                                 Afro-Cuban Percussion Department

Juan Sanchez is a percussionist who was first inspired to perform by watching his older brother in his high school band. Growing up in a home of artists made things easier for Sanchez to step up and try new artistic forms of self-expression. Sanchez first began performing at the age of 2 with his mothers group called Ballet Xochitl. He is quoted as saying: “Being the son of a Dance Director I had no choice but to put on a charro suit and begin to zapatiar.” Sanchez considers his role as a conga player very important since his rhythm and stamina keep an ensemble moving together as a unit. Sanchez also considers “everybody and everything to be a big influence.” For Sanchez, music is his life and music is the path he has chosen to express himself. His goal is to be the best he can possibly be in every subject he tackles.

Dan Yacoubian                                                             Brazilian Samba Department

Super Sonic Samba School (SSSS) is a grass-roots community drum and dance collective.  We hold open practices every Sunday afternoon, from noon-3:00 p.m. in Balboa Park, next to the Children's Playground just north of Centro Cultural de la Raza, on Park Road, and every Wednesday night, from 7:00-9:00 p.m., at the World Beat Cultural Center, also on Park Road in Balboa Park.  Classes are free and open to all, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Frank Lazzaro                                                          Dumbek Drumming Department

Ibrahima Ba                                                  African Djembe Drumming Department

Ibrahima Ba was born in 1975 in a neighborhood outside of Dakar, Senegal. His love for music began at a young age inspired by the singing, drums, and guitar rhythms of the all blind INAS orchestra. In his early teens he stole moments at night to walk by the river or sit near the ocean training the range of his voice and the finesse of his hands on homemade guitars. He performed opening acts for well-known musicians such as Baaba Maal in 1994. At the age of 19, he played percussion for the drum/dance/musical orchestra Ninki Nanka traveling to shows at Goree Island, the Cassamance, and finally Saint-Louis, where he stayed and continued to play with a subdivision of the same group.

Redbird                                                                         Native American Department