Wyoming Arts Council

Manmay La Kay Folk Band of Saint Lucia visits Buffalo Sept. 30-Oct. 3

Featured News | September 28, 2015

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From Wednesday, Sept. 30, to Saturday Oct. 3 Worlds of Music will present a series of school visits, workshops, performances, and talks along with a community dance featuring the Manmay La Kay (pronounce maw-my-law-ky) Folk Band of Saint Lucia, West Indies.  All events will take place in Buffalo and are free and open to the public.  Accompanying Manmay La Kay at its Wyoming dance will be Buffalo’s community steel drum group Pan Buffalo.

On Thursday, Oct.1, Manmay La Kay will play for a Main Street stroll on Buffalo’s two downtown blocks, appearing between 6:30-8p.m. Each stop will include an intimate performance of Saint Lucian music.

On Friday, Oct. 2, Manmay La Kay will perform and talk about their music and lives from 12:45-2 p.m. at the Buffalo Senior Center, 671 W. Fetterman.  On Saturday, October 3, they will play for a dance at 8 p.m. at the Buffalo American Legion Hall, 18 Veteran’s Ave.

Also on Saturday, Oct. 3, Manmay La Kay will direct a free workshop at the Bomber Mountain Civic Center (Old Clear Creek Middle School), 63 N. Burritt in Buffalo, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  While the members of the band play fiddle, banjo, guitar, a conga style hand drum, and shak-shak (a wicked cool shaker), players of all instruments are welcome.  Manmay La Kay’s music also includes singing and often accompanies Caribbean style kwadril dancing so singers and dancers are also welcome.

The workshop is open to people of all ages and skill levels and workshop participants will have the opportunity to play at the Saturday night dance.

Of his music Manmay La Kay’s fiddler Augustin “Charley” Julian says, “What we play is strictly folk.  An orchestra is good, that’s their field.  Jazz is good, that’s their field.  But neither of those is my field.  My field is folk music.  This is what I’ve learned, this is what I was raised in, and this is what I continue in, folk music, nothing else.”

The appearance of Manmay La Kay in Wyoming is made possible by Worlds of Music, a not for profit organization that seeks to understand what music means to people.  Worlds of Music performances, lectures, and workshops look at the role music plays in our lives, and how music changes over time and across cultures.

Support for this program comes from the Johnson County Tourism Association, the Johnson County Recreation District, and from a generous private gift that has covered the costs of bringing a group to the United States from another country.

For further information on the performances or to sign up for the workshop, call 307-684-2194 or 307-217-2812.

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