As Black History Month winds down, a dance group in Encinitas is inviting the community to immerse themselves in West African dance this weekend.
"To wrap up Black History month, I added something special. Usually I would just teach West African dance classes ... but, the entire month for this particular year, I decided to dive into African American dance forms as well," said Kara Mack, a dance choreographer from Los Angeles.
Mack will be teaching two classes in Encinitas on Sunday.
"We'll be starting with West African dance — that's the roots of it all — and ending with my particular culture, with step dance, being one of those pillars of African American dancing. So I'm excited," she said.
The first class will take place at the Dance North County Studio at 11 a.m. The second will be at the Performing Arts Workshop at 2:30 p.m.
The group, Encinitas West African Dance, holds classes every month with new teachers. When the weather permits, those classes take place at Encinitas Community Park.
"We're a multicultural group, which is another really interesting thing, because those of us who are not of African or African American culture are just feeling so fortunate, so blessed and so thankful that there are teachers that want to share this culture, because there's so much in it that benefits all people," said Diane Panella, who organizes the classes.
She invites the community of all ages and backgrounds to attend the events, which Mack calls a learning experience for all.
"Dance is very therapeutic. With anything African-based, we're talking about the beginning, the essence of movement," Mack said.
