Photo courtesy of John Bivins.
Lark Daniel remembers leaping from sofas in her living room as a child, dancing along to music from “West Side Story.”
She loved to dance and studied ballet, jazz and tap throughout childhood, but it wasn’t until she took her first African dance class at age 21 that she found her true passion.
“I just fell in love with it. It speaks to my soul,” Daniel said. “Dancing always spoke to me, but when I found African dance, I found myself. I found a part of myself that I didn’t realize was missing.”
Daniel continued her study of African dance with the Lancaster-based Imani Edu-Tainers African Dance Company and began teaching locally. All of this experience led her to found Dwennimmen African Dance Community, a Harrisburg-based group that celebrates the art of African dance and promotes community wellness.
The name Dwennimmen comes from a Ghanaian Adinkra symbol signifying humility and strength. The symbol is two rams with horns locked.
“To be humble takes so much more strength than the alternative,” Daniel said.
Dwennimmen’s classes and programs are open to people of all ages and backgrounds, including people who love dance and those who are just looking for a new way to exercise.
“We don’t consider ourselves a professional dance company,” Daniel said. “Everyone is welcome.”
A Dwennimmen dance class is constant movement, with rhythm provided by live drummers, including Daniel’s son Sa’vyon Johnson and Leigh Wisotzkey, whom Daniel met during her very first African dance classes. Wisotzkey owns Studio Solomon, now located in Lemoyne, where she teaches drumming, self-defense and martial arts.
“Drumming involves so much more than the musicality. It’s bringing people together,” Wisotzkey said. “It’s a magical feeling…everything is connected.”
Drums have a healing quality, as well, Daniel said.
“The drums are like a heartbeat. When I leave class, I feel so much better than when I came in,” she said. “It’s a natural healing.”
Daniel has passed on her love of dance to her children, who attend Dwennimmen classes and performances.
“Hearing the drums, that’s always going to get me up on my feet,” said Amani Ince, Daniel’s eldest daughter. “The unique thing about African dance is that you’re using every part of your body, from head to toe. Everything is moving, and every rhythm has a story.”
Ramona French is president of Dwennimmen’s board of directors and, at age 68, is the oldest dancer in the group. She said that she finds freedom in the movements and in connecting her mind and body through the rhythm—and lauds Daniel’s patience with newer dancers like herself.
“Lark is patient no matter how long it takes to learn or catch on to a beat,” she said.
Dwennimmen recently obtained its nonprofit status, and the group is now looking for a permanent space that will allow them to share their art with more people. The group currently holds classes as part of UPMC’s Healthy Harrisburg Initiative and performs at special events and festivals throughout the Harrisburg area.
“We’re looking for a place to set up home—home is where you find your strength,” French said. “We want people to fall in love with the heritage of African music and drums.”
As part of their mission to share African dance and drumming with the larger community, Dwennimmen will host the fifth annual SoulFit Festival this month in Harrisburg. The event is open to everyone and will feature fitness and dance performances, food trucks, children’s activities and resource vendors.
The COVID pandemic took a toll on people of color and people with lower incomes, especially those with underlying health conditions, Daniel said. The SoulFit Festival will promote health education and wellness within these communities and the Harrisburg area at large.
Daniel said that dance is at the heart of preserving African culture, and she’s grateful for all of the instructors who inspired her love of this art form.
“Now it’s our turn to plant the seed in the next generation,” she said.
SoulFit Festival takes place Oct. 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Marshall Math Science Academy, 301 Hale Ave., Harrisburg.
For more information about Dwennimmen and the upcoming SoulFit Festival, visit DwennimmenArts.org or search Dwennimmen African Dance Community on Facebook.
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