Wilfred Mark

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Korean War
1952 - 1953

Caribbean Music and Dance

Wilfred Mark is a native of Trinidad trained in jazz and Horton techniques.  He has been teaching and performing since 1971.  Wilfred specializes in Caribbean folklorique dance and drum, he has taught on the faculties of San Francisco State, Sonoma State and Stanford Universities.

Since 1971 Wilfred has choreographed at least twenty jazz and fifty Caribbean pieces and has danced on four continents with various touring companies.   Since 1987 he has worked as artistic director, choreographer, dancer and drummer with Dance Kaiso in San Francisco, a company featuring dance/theater, jazz and Caribbean folkloric works.

Dance Kaiso does workshops and performs in schools, mental institutions, companies, world expos, and juvenile centers.

In addition Wilfred has available for sale Caribbean drums, goatskins, and cowhides.  For more information please contact Wilfred at:

(415) 331-1500 extension 410.

Classes

Wilfred teaches the following classes in the Bay Area :

• Beginning class -- 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday evenings at Cubberly Community Center Dance Studio (at the rear of the complex).  Cubberly Community Center is located on Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, CA between San Antonio and Charleston. See map for detailed directions.
  
  The sample videos below show examples of the level of teaching in the Beginning class. This class may also be of interest to Intermediate and Advanced students to review and sharpen their movements. These Videos are large files and may take a while to download. You will need to download the free DivX Player to view these video.

NOTE: You can control the volume, expand the video to view it either as a partial screen or view it full screen by clicking either of the icons at the right of the image control bar. Once the video has been downloaded, you can view it repeatedly by going to this page and clicking the start button.

Video 1: Basic Steps

No video? Get the DivX Plus Web Player for Windows or Mac

Lesson 2: Calipso

No video? Download the DivX Plus Web Player.

Lesson 3: Samba

No video? Download the DivX Plus Web Player.  

• Intermediate/Advanced class -- Friday evenings from 8:00 p.m to 9:30 p.m. at the same location as the Beginning class above. This class incorporates a number of the moves taught in the Beginning class and also includes choreography combining the various moves into a dance.

Paying for either of these classes allows attending both class, if desired.

Caribbean Carnival Music & Dance Workshops

Each spring Wilfred invites you to come take part in the spirit and spectacle of Carnival on the island of Trinidad.  Experience its colorful parades, wild parties, and larger-than-life costumes.  Visit the mas camps, Calypso tents and steel pan competitions.  Rehearse and perform with a steel band or join in the masquerade of the outlandish carnival parade.

You will study with Trinidad master dancers and drummers, learning traditional Carnival rhythms and dances such as Kalinda, the stick fight dance that brought Carnival to the streets, Bongo, a dance to wake the dead and, of course Calypso, the national music and dance of Trinidad and Tobago.  Drum classes will be taught at the beginning and intermediate/advanced levels, dance classes at mixed levels, and steel drum classes by special arrangements.  All levels are welcome.

There will be time to relax on the beach with  plenty of opportunity to mix with the local people.

For information about Caribbean workshops contact Wilfred at:

• phone:  (415) 331-1500 ext. 410

• email: wilfredmk@hotmail.com

Updated March, 2010

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