Dance
Lauren smith
Dance director
Lauren Smith is a Portland based choreographer, teacher and dancer with over 20 years of extensive dance teaching experience with a current focus on contemporary modern and guiding dancers through improvisational and composition studies. Lauren is the co-creator of Tongue Dance Project, Director of Modern art Steps PDX, and full-time educator at Jefferson High School. With a BFA in Dance and a Master’s in Education, Lauren strives to create space and provide opportunities for artists of all ages to find freedom of expression and joy in movement and dance.
Sekou Soumah (Derrell Walker)
African Dance Instructor
Derrell “Sekou Soumah” Walker is a Portland, Oregon native and a strong presence in the West African Drum and Dance community. He is the perfect blend of drum and dance; Western and West African. He effortlessly inhabits the highest levels of Mandingue drum and dance, and blends these skills with his American roots and a deep knowledge of the Mandingue culture.
The embodiment of these traits combined with a natural gift for teaching and mentoring make Sekou one of a kind. Africans and non-Africans alike respect him worldwide. This is reflected in Sekou's starring as both a dancer and a percussionist in Moustapha Bangoura's Tinkanyi instructional dance videos in 2003. In 2004 Sekou received his teaching certification from Mamady Keita and Tam Tam Mandingue, followed by a teaching diploma in 2008.
Sekou began his dance career in 1998, after several years of training as an athlete. The path from athlete to dancer is an unusual one. As a result of thousands of hours spent training and competing in track & field and baseball, Sekou possesses a grace and power in dance that is rare, particularly amongst American-born African dancers. Sekou continues to refine these skills through performing and teaching dance all over the United States and internationally in countries including Scotland, Singapore, Mexico and Bali.