Posts Tagged ‘music & dance’
Life and music in Senegal
West Africa is not a heavily touristed place. It’s also not the first region that comes to mind when one contemplates great musical destinations. And yet there is a thriving music scene in Senegal, and especially in the capital city of Dakar, that would appeal to any musically inclined traveler. The NY Times just ran [...]
Understanding the whirling dervishes
Whirling dervishes. The term is a familiar one to many people, but what exactly is a whirling dervish? That is, beyond some exotic Middle Eastern man who twirls round and round while dressed in a white robe and tall hat? Not many people know that the dance of a whirling dervish is actually a spiritual [...]
Tango dancing honored by UNESCO
We’re all familiar with the concept of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which are natural and man-made destinations that represent the history and heritage of the world. Somewhat less familiar to most people are the newer UNESCO designations of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which honor such traditions as native music, dance, ritual or craftsmanship. This is meant to complement the list of [...]
Best North American cities for music lovers
Recently, I showed you a road trip that delved into the roots of American music, with destinations connected to the birth of jazz, blues, soul, bluegrass, country and rock ‘n roll. But what about contemporary music? What are the best cities in North America today for music lovers? The Society of American Travel Writers recently [...]
A road trip into the roots of American music
A lot of great music has been made in the United States, and much of it has roots in the South. In fact, if you journey through just a few southern states, you can have a fascinating time exploring the roots of jazz, blues, soul, bluegrass, country, and rock and roll. You can experience even more of the [...]
Whirling dervishes
Have you ever heard of the whirling dervishes? Have you ever seen a performance? The only one I ever saw was, oddly enough, in Egypt and not Turkey, which is the country more commonly associated with these spiritual dancers. Nevertheless, the performance by the lone dancer I saw was incredible. I couldn’t take my eyes off [...]
Learning to Tango
Do you love to watch the tango? If, like writer Joe Ray, you’re obsessed by the sultry movements of the dancers and want to learn to tango yourself, you might want to do what he did and head to Buenos Aires for some lessons. He wrote about his experiences for the Boston Globe: It’s every male wallflower’s [...]
Tango taxi dancers in Argentina
You’re in Buenos Aires. You want to dance the tango but you don’t have a partner. What’s a person to do? Hire a “tango taxi dancer,” according to this fun little story in Time magazine. The Salon Canning is an authentic milonga, an unassuming hall in the old Palermo district of Buenos Aires where the [...]
Dancing your way around the planet
Well, here’s a rare and unorthodox way to fund a round-the-world trip… In 2003, Matt Harding posted on his website a video of himself dancing in a dozen countries. As the video made its way around the web, it found its way into the offices of Stride gum company. The company then offered to fund a six-month trip [...]
Using music as a window into Africa
The Boston Globe yesterday ran an article about a man named Solomon Murungu, who teaches Americans about Zimbabwean and African culture partly by utilizing the mbira, “a musical instrument of the Shona people in his home country.” His presentations have been so popular that he formed an organization called Zambuko Projects Unlimited to serve as an umbrella for his educational [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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