Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble

The girls and I were fortunate enough to enjoy a performance by the Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble this afternoon. We thought we were on time, but as we pulled into the parking lot, we could hear (and almost feel) the rhythms streaming out the front door of the library branch and into the parking lot. We found good seats, though, and were mesmerized for the next forty minutes.

And while I can't claim to know too much about Afrikan culture yet, I do know that two fat, hot tears rolled down my cheeks while I immersed myself in the experience, and Nora almost boogied off my lap. The music was a bit too loud for either child to feel totally comfortable dancing in front of their seats, but Nora's head was bobbing and her Play Doh-encrusted fingers were flying. Fiona's somber brown eyes were as round as saucers as she tried to soak up the entire program. She told me before it ended that she wanted to be able to dance like that, too.

We'll check out some Afrikan music from the library next. We requested that our library purchase TRJE's albums and DVDs today as well. I look forward to seeing what inspiration the Jenbé Ensemble may be for our two dancers now that they're in their home environment.