.

Masabo Family teaches at the Shenkman Art Centre in Orleans

2010-12-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Join Fana Soro and his daughters Mimi, Kaly and Nadjema as they share their love of rythyms and dance from their beloved Cote d'Ivoire - and get some exercise too! These classes are available to men and women, although the djembe drumming is advertised as a "women's only class" that is advertising left-over from the previous instructor. No experience is necessary, beginners welcome! For dance, we dance in bare feet and we dance to live drumming, bring a sarong wrapper to wear over your work-out gear...For drumming, we do supply djembes, but you are welcome to bring your own djembe. Ages teen and up only please.

Starting January 11th, 2011 and running for 10 weeks every Tuesday night!

West African Dance - 19:00 to 20:00
West African Djembe - 20:00 to 21:00

Send us an email for more news or check us out on Facebook Group: Masabo

Masabo on tour in Vancouver at the Michael J Fox Theatre

2010-10-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

Masabo is back from tour in Saskatchewan, and what a tour it was! They drove all 4 corners of the province - and it really does have corners - and hit every school in between. Masabo would like to thank OSAC and the schools and students of Saskatchewan for such a warm welcome. Invite us back! We would love to come again!

Masabo will be at the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby for 14 shows between October 22nd to 29th, 2010 as part of Artstarts in Schools.

After three months of solid touring, the group wil take a small break - Kocassale is heading to Guinea, Jean Pierre is releasing his first book and will launch it in Quebec, Munkie will be back doing his thing with the Drum Cafe and Fana is coming to join his family in Ottawa and start sharing his talents with MASC and Ottawa and Gatineau as well he will visit his family in Africa in !

Masabo will be back touring in the West in January, February and May 2011.

See you soon!

Masabo Touring in Saskatchewan in 2010 -2011 School Year

2010-04-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Masabo will be touring in Saskatchewan this fall as part of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils Junior Concerts. Masabo showcased their school program in the spring of 2009 to great reviews - as a result they are building a three week tour in the province in September 2010. If you are in Saskatechewan and you want your students to experience Masabo, please contact www.kbamonline.com for booking details.

Saskatchewan is the one province that Masabo has NOT toured in so the group is excited!!!

Masabo at the Cultural Olympiad in Vancouver 2010

2010-02-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Place de la Francophone 2010 - Granville Island

February 16th - "Carnival du Monde" Featuring Masabo and other celebrated World Musicians

February 28th - "Vancouver Salut!" Featuring Masabo and Miyanda and special guests

http://placefranco2010.ca/

THESE ARE FREE EVENTS!

Masabo on Tour in Alberta Oct. 14th to 18th

2009-10-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

Fana, Jean Pierre, Kocassale and Theo are currently on tour in Alberta. Arriving in Calgary, they will perform a string of school shows while enroute to Fort Saskatchewan for Alberta's Showcase for Young Audiences on Oct. 17th. KBAM http://www.kbamonline.com/ will be representing the group in the Fort, the goal is to book up Alberta next school year with a lot of Masabo energy!

New Contacts for Fana & Masabo

2009-08-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Masabo in Ottawa
6257 Castille Court
Orleans, Ontario
K1C 1X4

Telephone Contacts:
Fana - cell - 613.618.8114 (Fana receives text messages!)
Lisa - cell - 613.552.3566
Soro Home Ontario: 613.424.6009

www.masabo-fana-soro.blogspot.com
masabocc@gmail.com
sorolisa@gmail.com

Summer Events for Masabo...what's on in July.

2009-07-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

Lively Up Yourself World Music Summer Camp - Fana will be teaching Djembe and Balafon to kids and youth at the Roundhouse Community Centre from July 13th to 17th. This is Fana's 8th or 9th year teaching at Lively Up and it is an excellent World Music Camp with many other top world music teachers on offering! www.roundhouse.ca for registration - VERY reasonable priced for an excellent week of learning and fun.

Langley International Music School - Fana will be teaching Djembe and Dance to kids in Langley from July 20th to 24th. Please contact the school for more info and registration.

Fana and Miyanda in Concert - July 17th at the Century House Community Centre for Seniors in New Westminster...this is a "give-back" to a community that has supported Masabo and Miyanda and the Soro family over the years...7pm, admission is $5 for Seniors who are non-members....$2 for members (I believe!).

Masabo in Concert - July 24th at 7pm at the Sun-Yet-Sen Vancouver Chinese Gardens...don't miss this summer concert series in an enchanted space!

Masabo and Miyanda in Concert - July 25th at 5pm at UBC for a private concert for UBC's Childcare Workers.

Fana Soro and Family in Concert - August 1 for "Motos for Malaria" in Whistler...TBC.

Fana Soro and Masabo...sharing West Africa in Eastern Canada

2009-06-11T20:30:00.001-07:00

News alert! Fana Soro and Masabo will be heading East this summer and fall...Fana's family (see photo right) is being transplanted to the Ottawa area and will be installed by August 2009. Fana and Masabo will continue to tour, perform and teach in Vancouver and across the country as they have for the past 12 years now, but "Head Quarters" is moving from Vancouver to the country's capital, Ottawa. It is business as usual! Fana is looking forward to creating a new community of Masabo friends and fans on both the Ontario and Quebec sides of the border in Ottawa. And to his Vancouver friends and fans - he can never leave Vancouver, not really! Not ever...so it will become an African-Canadian Tale of Two Cities...Soro-Style.

IMPORTANT! Please note:

The following contact information is no longer in service for Fana and Masabo:

NO - www.masabo.com

NO - masabocc@shaw.ca

NO - sorolisa@shaw.ca

NO - 604.524.4285

NO - 604.788.3113

Please use: http://www.masabo-fana-soro.blogspot.com/ and masabocc@gmail.com for all future contact. Fana's cell is 613.618.8114 and home phone 613.424.6009.

Saskatchewan Children's Festival

2009-05-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Masabo will be in Saskatoon June 2nd to June 6th for the Saskatchewan Children's Festival. Please log onto their site for performance and workshop information. Thanks Saskatoon for hosting Masabo!

http://www.saskatchewanchildrensfestival.ca/masabo.html

STUDY GUIDES for TEACHERS

2009-05-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

Please cut and paste the following links into your web browser and print:

Masabo Study Guide - ENGLISH VERSION http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fc0385889101c4&mt=application%2Fpdf&pli=1

Masabo Study Guide - VERSION FRANCAIS http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fc037e22280405&mt=application%2Fpdf&pli=1

Please contact us for the Answer Keys - they will be emailed to you upon request!

Fana Soro and MASABO on Facebook

2009-05-13T21:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends and Fans:

You can reach or add Fana Soro or look for the MASABO group on Facebook if you are so inclined. Although it can be a colossal time-waster (I have had first-hand experience with this), for the purposes of notifying folks when fun and interesting events around town are happening, it can be handy!

See you on FB!

Kind regards,

Lisa

Thanks from Gordon Greenwood Elementary!

2009-05-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2009
Hi Lisa and Fana.
I thought you would like to know that we've received much praise for the drumming workshop on Thursday and show on Friday. Many people, including teachers said it was the best they've seen. We were all amazed and impressed with Fana's ability to inspire the students and teachers by encouraging our participation with his contagious joy and love of drumming and music.

Please extend our thanks, as well, to the other members of Masabo; Kesseke Yeo, Koca and Jean Pierre. Their high energy, creative and skilful show was pure fun.

We want to thank you for showing us how much joy there is in learning about and experiencing something new. Thank you for helping us at Gordon Greenwood Elementary advance in our appreciation of diversity, and to become more understanding of West African culture and music. We at Gordon Greenwood will not forget you and hope to see you again soon.

Sincerely
Tony Bevacqua
Leigh-Ann

Fana at Artstarts in School - comments

2009-05-12T22:49:00.001-07:00

http://www.placeblogger.com/feed-item/never-say-you-can%E2%80%99t-dance-fana-tells-the-children

Masabo, Miyanda and Kutipira oh my!

2009-05-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

This will be the 5th annual pilgrammage for Masabo to the Harambee Summer Festival in Naramata, BC. The festival is a celebration of adoptive families of children of African Heritage - and it is truly a celebration! More than 60 BC families gather at Naramata Centre for a week of music, dance, culture and most importantly to build life-long friendships. Masabo, Fana and the Soro family have been attending both as workshop facilitators but also now as family members.

This year the supergroup Kutipira, a marimba-driven, Cuban-African-Canadian- Funky-Funk group of 5 extraordinary young men will join in the fun for the 2nd year in a row.

Miyanda, Fana Soro's youth group of the past 7 years, an amazing group of 11 young Afro-Canadian girls who perform traditional West African music, dance and song...and Hip Hop too, will be there for the 5th non-negotiable year!

And as always, each day will open with the beating of the drums with Fana.

June 27th to July 4th, 2009. If you are a family that fits the description above, please contact Susan at crazy8@telus.net. Camp is full for 2009, but get your name on the list for 2010!

Masabo to showcase in Alberta in October

2009-05-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Masabo has been invited to showcase at the Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta "Showcase for Young Audiences" on October 16-18 at the Dow Centennial Theatre in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. Surely Masabo will be bringing the last glimpse of (African ) sun with them before the cold of a Canadian winter sets in! www.artstouring.com

Fana Soro and Masabo at a Children's Festival near you!

2009-04-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Fana Soro and Jean Pierre Makosso will be presenting Makosso's "Under the Baobab Tree" at the Vancouver International Children's Festival, May 11th to 18th, 2009 and again at the Alberta International Children's Festival, May 26th and 30th, 2009. Then Masabo - Fana Soro, Jean Pierre Makosso, Kesseke Yeo and Kocassale Dioubate - will be on tour at the Saskatchewan International Children's Festival, June 2nd to June 6th, 2009.

Djembe Lessons with Fana Soro

2009-04-02T22:04:00.000-07:00

Monday Nights

Ammara Dance Company (formerly Masabo Music & Dance Studio), New Westminster
Intermediate Students: 8:15 pm to 9:30pm
8 week course
Class Time: 8:15 PM - 9:30 PM
Class Start: Monday 23rd of March 2009
Class End: Monday 25th of May 2009

Description:
Take your drumming to the next level! Continuating from Intro Level, more complex and varied rhythms are introduced. Class moves at a faster pace. Focusing on more complex rhythms and technique, this class will challenge and enlighten. Learn with one of the Masters! If you don’t have your own drum, rentals are available for $40 for the entire session. Please bring rental payment to first class. (10 weeks)**10% discount on Registration/Drop-In for VRAD Members!**
info@ammara.ca for details
Drop In Cost: $15.00

Friday Nights

Ammara Dance Company
Advanced Students: 7:00 to 8:30pm
Drop-in only: $20
Call Fana in advance of every class please and let him know you are coming - sometimes if he is touring there will not be class - 604.788.3113

Kocassale Dioubate - Biography

2009-02-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fc06b2879ffb11&mt=application%2Fpdf

Jean Pierre Makosso - Biography

2009-02-28T19:26:00.001-08:00

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=4394b1f04e&view=gvatt&th=11fbfaecfc5fd1df&attid=0.1&disp=attd&mime=application%2Fpdf&zw

Kesseke Yeo - Biography

2009-02-28T19:25:00.001-08:00

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fbfb457a510c32&mt=application%2Fpdf

Fana Soro - Biography

2009-02-28T19:14:00.001-08:00

http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&attid=0.1&thid=11fbfb9610911304&mt=application%2Fpdf

Masabo...touring in a school near you!

2009-02-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

MASABO has been touring locally, nationally and internationally since 1997. The group's featured performers are Fana Soro (Cote d'Ivoire), Jean Pierre Makosso (Congo-Brazzville), Kocassale Dioubate (Guinea) and Kesseke Yeo (Cote d'Ivoire). MASABO is one of British Columbia's most-booked school performance groups, performing on average 100 school shows each year. To book MASABO in your school please contact Kevin Bruce at KBAM Arts Management http://www.kbamonline.com/ or through Artstarts in Schools http://www.artstarts.com/. Please contact MASABO directly, see profile, to book them for your festival, multicultural event or school Artist-in-Resident programs or classroom or entire school workshops. masabocc@gmail.com or masabocc@shaw.ca. We look forward to meeting you in the future!