12/18: African Soul International

By Frank Lewis on Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 11:48 am

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Sista Jewel Jackson is a force of nature. Ever since she founded the African Soul International dance company in 1998, her relentlessly upbeat personality has been lighting up rooms full of people who know nothing about African dance but can’t resist her energy and her drummers’ rhythms. Besides the many festivals where local audiences have seen the group, African Soul International has performed across the nation and with Grammy-winning Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour in West Africa. Sista Jewel and her drummers — Papa Assane M’baye, Cheikh N’dong, Mamadou Gnigue, SaNu Baraka and DeAngelo Greene — invite dancers, kids and anyone who wants to learn how to bust a move or two to join the company for their last class of the year. It starts at 6 p.m. at Cory Recreation Center (10510 Drexel Ave., 216.451.7685). A free-will offering will be accepted. — Michael Gill