12:15-1:15 pm

Location: Gund Studio, IDEA CENTER

The Idea Center is located at: 1375 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115 The entrance is on Euclid Ave. just west of the Playhouse Square Theatres. There will be signage located outside of the entrance.

Traditional West African Dance

With Talise Campbell, Djapo Cultural Arts Institute

Talise A. Campbell is a graduate of the Cleveland School of Arts having double majors in dance and drama. She went on to become a member of the Imani African American Dance Company under the direction of Ms. Linda Thomas-Jones. There she performed across the United States and taught at various universities, public/private schools, and community functions. Ms. Campbell went on further to become choreographer and lead dancer for the Iroko Drum and Dance Society, being featured at the Palace Theatre for “Best International Works.” She has studied with the likes of Marie Basse-Wiles, Babacar N’Diaye, Assane Konte, Mouminatou Camara, Ronald K. Brown, Tacko Cissokho, Raymond Sylla, Bill Wade, Kissima Diabate, Moustapha Bangoura, and Baba Chuck Davis to name a few.

Combining a love for dance and educational growth, Ms. Campbell obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cleveland State University in the field of Education and Administration. She went further to become an Artist in Residence at the Cleveland School of Arts teaching African history, choreography, culture, and dance. She then became a full time faculty member teaching students with learning disabilities through the integration of the cultural arts.

Currently Ms. Campbell is the Artistic Director of Djapo Cultural Arts Institute where her mission is to preserve traditional music, dance, and history through her Community Dance & Drum outreach programs. She teaches at the Cleveland School of Arts, Open Doors Academy, Save Our Children, Cuyahoga Community College, Case Western Reserve, Cleveland State University, and at many other organizations and facilities. Ms. Campbell is a 2012 Creative Workforce Fellow and recipient of the Ohio Outstanding Educator Award. She has been afforded the opportunity to travel to various countries in Africa to assist with bringing traditional dance and music back to the states. She plans to receive her Doctoral Degree researching the effects of the integration of the arts comparing students in Dakar, Senegal with students in urban settings in America.

Communities Dancing, Drumming, Celebrating and Preserving our Rich Culture. “Dance is the hidden language of the Soul.”