Gnawa LanGus: A Duke Performances Collaboration
About the Workshop
Played with percussive instruments, Qarqaba (large iron castanets), polyrhythmic clapping, and a three-stringed, bass lute-like sintir — Gnawa music draws on an abundant African-Islam history of ritualistic music believed to heal people possessed by jinn, or spirits.
Join Gnawa LanGus, fronted by GRAMMY-nominated musician Samir LanGus, on Wednesday, February 26 for a free community workshop on the indigenous music and dance traditions of Morocco and North Africa. Open to all levels of ability.
About the Instructor
Gnawa LanGus, fronted by GRAMMY-nominated musician Samir LanGus, fuses the raw hypnotic power of the centuries-old Moroccan Gnawa tradition with Berber, Indian, Saharan, and Flamenco music.
This spring, the ensemble joins for a weeklong residency as part of Duke Performances ongoing Building Bridges: Muslims in America series, a joint initiative with the Duke Islamic Studies Center and Duke Middle East Studies Center. Funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and the National Endowment for the Arts, the three-year project seeks to strengthen understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim communities in the Durham area. Gnawa Langus is one of several US-based artists/ensembles who, between Spring 2018 and Spring 2020, are making visits to Duke classrooms and local public schools with the aim of fostering understanding, respect, and dialogue around Muslim art and culture.
About the Location
This workshop will meet at the Living Arts Collective, located in the Trotter Building in downtown Durham.
Address: 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701
