Makida Anderson                                                          African Dance Department

Makida started dancing professionally in 1979 at the age of nine. From 1979-1995 Makida performed at many venues including the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and taught African Dance throughout San Diego County at schools, and in community centers. In 1995 Makida moved to Los Angeles and began dancing with Musa Keba Sane West African Dance troupe under the direction of Malik Sow, Mareme FAye and Malong Bayo, all principal dancer for the Senegalese Ballet. While in Los Angeles, Makida was fortunate to act in three feature films. Today Makida resides in San Diego, where she choreographs and performs with her own company the Malaikas and for the WorldBeat Center Dance and Drum Troupe. Her ongoing West African dance classes taught weekly at the WorldBeat Center are very popular among novices and veteran dancers alike.

Super Sonic Samba School                                         Brazilian Samba Department

The mission of SSSS is to facilitate progressive, personal and community empowerment through grassroots development of our own community music and dance, based on the “Samba Schools” of Brazil.  Our goal is to involve children, youth, adults and seniors in a community group that enriches their lives and the community by collaborating to create music, entertain, teach, and learn from one another.  Offering an alternative to passive consumption of commercial entertainment and cultural, SSSS seeks to empower the community to develop its own entertainment and cultural resources -- and opportunities for self-expression -- that are not defined, censored or controlled by commercial, government or organized religious interests. Our community includes those who simply wish to learn and play music in a group, those who wish to help organize and run the group, those who wish to develop leadership and teaching skills, and those who enjoy being entertained and inspired by a high-energy, community based Afro-Brazilian music and dance group.

Sabrina Fox                                                                Tribal-Style Dance Department

Dennis Newsome                             Community Outreach / Capoeira Department

Dennis Newsome is the first and only African-American Master in the art of Capoeira in the world (an African Brazilian combat dance), and a pioneer of Capoeira in San Diego. His presentation was part of the Closing Session.

Also, the bewitching Maculele was presented, another African Brazilian combat dance tradition that utilizes sticks and sparking machetes.

Newsome, aka. Mestre Preto Velho (Master Old Black Man in Portuguese), collaborated with master drummers Bernard Thomas, who was the musical director of this production, and Omar Moore.