Description
Djembe Alchemy’s continued mission is to bring great guest teachers and artists to the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle region to experience West African culture from the source.
We introduce Ghanaian drummer and dancer Fred Nii Addo, who will be joining us for Shake the Ground Vol 4 along with our much loved Mohamed Bangoura!
Fred and Mohamed will share their mastery of rhythm and dance from two different West African cultures (Guinea and Ghana) through workshops over 2 days. This is a special opportunity to receive teachings directly from the best African drum and dance artists.
Where:
Speers Point Public School (Bell St, Speers Point NSW 2284)
Workshop Schedule
Saturday 5 December 2026
- 9:00AM to 10:15am – Djembe Drumming Workshop – Ghanaian style (Fred)
- 10:45AM to 12:00pm – African Dance Workshop (Bangourake)
- 12:00pm to 1:15pm – Lunch (BYO)
- 1:15PM to 2:30pm – Djembe Drumming Workshop (Bangourake)
- 3:00 PM to 4:15pm – Dundun Dance Workshop (Fred)
Sunday 6 December 2026
- 9:00AM to 10:15am – Djembe Drumming Workshop (Bangourake)
- 10:30AM to 11:30am – African Dance Workshop (Fred)
- 11:45aM to 12:45pm – Dundun Drumming Workshop (Bangourake)
Pricing
| Total workshops | Price | Djembe hire | Dundun hire | |
| Single Class | 1 | $40 | $5 | $5 |
| All drumming | 3 | $100 | $8 | N/A |
| All dancing | 4 | $120 | N/A | $8 |
| All drum and dance | 7 | $185 | $8 | $8 |
Workshop Details:
African dance
Mohamed will take you through a warm up and then teach traditional Mali or Guinea style dance.
Fred will lead you through a Ghanaian style dance choreography to experience a different culture.
All accompanied by a live drumming ensemble!
Dundun dance
Play the drums and dance at the same time! This class provides an entry point to dundun dance for pretty much everyone – an exhilarating way to experience West African rhythms.
Djembe drumming
Open to all levels of drummers, both Mohamed and Fred will teach you how to get the best sounds out of your drum, then focus on a traditional rhythms from two different countries and traditions respectively.
About Fred
About Bangourake
Bangourake (Mohamed Bangoura) is described as the man with “hands of fire” and “the lion of Matam” and is known internationally as a recognised master drummer. He grew up in a village a few hours north of Conakry, the capital of Guinea, called Bourramya-Koubya. Born into a family of Griots (keepers of the music, stories and culture), music is in Mohamed’s blood.
Mohamed began performing at the age of five, participating in traditional ceremonies. He became a member of the internationally renowned Percussion de Guineé and featured as a soloist, and was also involved in numerous other national ballet ensembles in Conakry.
As a Griot, Mohamed’s life mission is to pass on the oral histories and traditions of Guinea through music, dance and storytelling. He excels at this through his live performances and teaching with an astonishing amount of charisma, energy and lightning-fast hands.
Among numerous accolades, in 2004, Mohamed’s album, Djembe Kan, was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best World Music Album.
