Jacob's Pillow Dance

Cachet Ivey, an independent artist and accomplished performer, teaches

and performs West African dance all over Philadelphia, devoting time and energy to the youth in her community. Currently, she teaches open community classes at the Hawthorne Cultural Center. Prior to that, she taught community classes at the Rhythm and Moves dance studio. Through her dance she brings together local and surrounding communities, both professional and amateur, across the age spectrum, teaching the techniques of traditional dance as well as aspects of traditional heritage through dance. She began studying dances from Senegal, Mali and Haiti at the age of 9, with the Ibeji Performing Arts Ensemble. She later studied directly under Jeannine Osayande, an established cultural artist from the Swarthmore area, and is currently the director of Dunya Performing Arts Ensemble. At age 16, she assisted Jeannine Osayande, instructing and choreographing for the University of the Arts Dance Department, where she realized her ability to teach and inspire. She began to study extensively with Youssouf Koumbassa, of Guinea West Africa, who is internationally credited as a master instructor and dancer. Ivey frequently traveled to New York and Washington, D.C., to study with other master teachers. In her first year at Temple University, she studied the contemporary African-American dance form, Mfundalai. She has taught at highly recognized institutions, including the University of the Arts and University of Pennsylvania. Ivey was Program Coordinator for the 2008 Philly African Dance and Drum Conference, and she led a workshop at the 2008 Tap Dance Festival in Flint, Michigan, illustrating the connection among African dance, drumming and rhythm, tap, and other contemporary dance forms. In addition to the companies named, Ivey has also performed with Hodari Banks, Mouminatou Camara, and Tenefig Diabate. Her choreography credits include concerts for Griot Don! Dance Collective, African Rhythms, Troupe Da Da, and a host of other groups in the Philadelphia area. Accompanied by a West African percussionist, this will be Ivey's first season on faculty with The School at Jacob's Pillow.