Extra Ancestral is a cultural movement dedicated to educating and entertaining audiences through the cultural manifestations of the African Diaspora including Afrobeat, Reggae, Jazz, and Salsa. Opening set by DJ Jedi.
Set Times:
6:00pm – DJ Jedi
7:00pm – Extra Ancestral 1st set
8:00pm – DJ Jedi
8:30pm – Extra Ancestral 2nd set
Please RSVP via Eventbrite.
For Location, Parking & FAQ, click here.
Founded by Kahlil Cummings in 2017, Extra Ancestral is a cultural movement dedicated to educating and entertaining audiences through the fusion of different cultural manifestations of the African Diaspora. In their performances, audiences are likely to experience genres such as Afrobeat, Reggae, Jazz, Salsa, and many traditional African musical forms of the Diaspora. Narrated through powerful ancestral dancing, Extra Ancestral provides an in-depth education of temporal and geographic borders from Africa to the Americas and back, providing lessons from the past to hone tools for the future. Music and dance are the ensemble’s healing tools, and led by some of LA’s most dynamic artists, their revolutionary performances of black survival invoke while poignantly resisting 500 years of forced transatlantic passages between West Africa and the Americas. Extra Ancestral unifies music, dance, visual arts, and community engagement as forms of empowerment to reduce the trans generational trauma that exists in communities of color. Historically, music and dance have been considered the oldest form of medicine and Extra Ancestral seeks to combine the tradition of healing through their performances to elevate and empower communities of color. Their vision manifests into performance productions, dance classes, workshops and music education with artists from across the African Diaspora.
The Ensemble :
Kahlil Cummings (Musical Director, and Percussion), Alberto Lopez (Co-Musical Director, Arranger and Percussion), Evan “Cristo” Greer (Drums and Percussion), Nakeiltha “Nikki” Campbell (Percussion), Kibrom Birhane (Keyboards), Fabio Santana (Trombone and Cavaquinho), Bobby Easton (Guitar), Te’amir Sweeney (Drums and Percussion), Randal Fisher( Sax and Flute), QVLN (Vocals, and Violin), Jimetta Rose (Vocals), Tylana Enomoto (Violin), Emina Shimanuki (Vocals) and Leider Chapotín (Trumpet)
The Dancers:
Rachel Hernandez, Daunte Fyall, Jahanna Blunt, Ashley Blanchard, Laila Abdullah and Nagode Simpson
About DJ Jedi: Emmy Award-winning Turntablist. Toured the globe as the resident music maestro for Russell Simmons’ Tony Award-winning DEF POETRY JAM & Grammy Award-winning hip hop pioneers, DIGABLE PLANETS.