Wacheva Cultural Arts founder brings enthusiasm to dance studio

Wacheva means unity.

This word, translated from a language of West Africa’s Ivory Coast, is the value Biboti Ouikahilo strives to embody. Ouikahilo is the founder, executive and artistic director of Wacheva Cultural Arts, which offers classes in a wide variety of dance styles under the same roof, including African dance, cardio salsa and flamenco.

Across from Recess Coffee in the Westcott neighborhood, Wacheva is tucked away on Harvard Place. Peek into its dance studio on a Saturday after 1 p.m., and Ouikahilo will be demonstrating moves to his dance class.

No music is playing, unless you count the rhythms Ouikahilo chants out in time with the moves. Dressed in patterned blue and yellow garbs with pictures of drinks on them, he shouts out to the beat “a one, two, three, four, baba-baba-baba-babah!”

After he finishes demonstrating, he translates the sounds he was formerly chanting into music on African drums, and his students dance, thumping loudly on the ground in unison, jumping from side to side, and emulating a drumming motion with their arms. The studio, lined with pictures of Wacheva performances over the years, vibrates with the energy of drumming, Ouikahilo’s yelling and the dancers’ powerful motions.

On any given day, though, Ouikahilo might take his moves from the studio to the stage. Wacheva performed at the Westcott Street Cultural Fair on Sept. 20 and will be performing at Syracuse University from 8–10 p.m. in Setnor Auditorium Sept. 22.

The performance at SU will be a workshop for Sydney Hutchinson’s 100-person HOM 195: “Performance Live” class, but any student can attend, free of charge. Hutchinson is an assistant professor in music history and culture and a member of the Wacheva board.

“He’s very good at getting students involved and trying it even if they think they’re not the type of person who wants to get up and try it,” Hutchinson said.

Ouikahilo was born in the Sinfra Progouri West region of the Ivory Coast. His dance background is extensive — it includes time with the highly acclaimed Ivory Coast National Dance Company, drumming on the Jimmy Buffett Summer Tour and teaching at Djoniba Dance and Drum Centre in New York City.

Before he moved to Syracuse in 2003, Ouikahilo toured the globe with the Ivory Coast National Dance Company, performing in countries such as Morocco, Germany, Belgium, England, Yugoslavia, Kenya, and Mexico.

Ouikahilo said he wasn’t planning on moving to Syracuse, but when he traveled here to perform with his dance group on an icy day in February 2003, something struck a chord.

“I say to my colleagues, ‘I think I’m going to move here.’ They say, ‘Oh you’re crazy,'” Ouikahilo said. “They call it a village, not like New York City. ‘You, you’re going to come to the village, Biboti? Really?’ I say, ‘I don’t know; I think I like it here.'”

It was when the group visited the Northside that Ouikahilo really liked what he saw and felt in Syracuse. He said he liked the quietness of the city.

“I saw people who sit down together — black, white, different colors and I thought, ‘Wow, I like it here,’” Ouikahilo said. “That attracted me a lot, so I thought, OK maybe I move here, and I’ll be able to share what I’m doing. People can come to listen, you know. That was one of my goals.”

Another aspect that drew Ouikahilo to Syracuse was the university. He enjoys performing for and working with college students because of their innate curiosity and tendency to ask questions. He’s performed at SU more times than he can remember since relocating to Syracuse.

Hanna Gold, a student at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, is one of Ouikahilo’s students. She’s also vice president of the Orange Pulse Dance Troupe at SU. She’s been involved in African dance since she was a child living in San Francisco and her mom took her to classes. After she moved to Syracuse, with Wacheva just down the street from her home, signing up for classes was a no-brainer, she said.

“He’ll explain what the moves are and why you’re doing them. I like how passionate he is. I love his voice — his grunting?” Gold said with a laugh. “I don’t know what you call it.”

Hutchinson continues to bring Wacheva’s workshops to her classes because she said she believes the cultural education they offer is invaluable. The workshops also serve as a great introduction to Wacheva’s classes — which she said create a powerful link between the too-often disjointed SU campus and Syracuse as a city.

“I think Wacheva is really important because it serves a need in our community that is not being met through any other organization in terms of multicultural music and dance education,” Hutchinson said. “I think that’s really valuable, especially in our community where there’s been a lot of cultural barriers in Syracuse that are hard to overcome.”

By the end of his class, the girls are red-faced, sweaty and out of breath. He asks if they want water, and they groan a resounding “yes,” all together. During their break, they go over the combinations together, talking and laughing. It doesn’t last long though — soon enough Ouikahilo yells out, “from the top!” And with a burst of energy, they rehearse the dance a final time.