West African Music: Dancing the 4 quadrants

IEC Conference: 2025

What do we learn about a foreign culture by experiencing its music? Come spend an hour listening to the sounds of balafon, kora, guitar and drums from the Mande region of West Africa. These instruments, some of them 800 years old, were not meant for entertainment, but for building and upholding the values of the community. How can they be relevant to the global community today? This session is a listening and free-form dance hour, led by Lisa Feder, cultural anthropologist who specialises in learning culture through music. Participants will start with a short guided meditation and an introduction to the music and culture. Then we will embody the music for 30 minutes of listening and free-form dancing. The last 15 minutes will be dedicated to sharing our experiences about the musical experience from each of the 4 quadrants.

Format: ART, MORNING PRACTICE, WORKSHOP 1h
Presentation category: ART, EMBODIMENT

FEDER, Lisa Dr.

France

Lisa Feder is a cultural anthropologist and educator specialising in personal transformation and cross-cultural community building. As the founder of Manding Grooves, a France-based organisation, she creates immersive workshops where participants engage with West African jeli (griot) music—dancing, singing, and playing the balafon—as a gateway to deeper self-awareness, transformation, and intercultural connection. Through retreats in West Africa, France, and the United States, she guides individuals and communities toward realizing their fullest potential by integrating movement, music, and mindfulness.

Lisa is also a dharma-based life coach, working with an international community to support personal and spiritual evolution. Her approach is rooted in Integral Spirituality, drawing from Buddha-dharma, the Western Mysteries (Tarot), West African traditions, and other wisdom paths.

Lisa had over 20 years of experience in musical cross-cultural learning, movement, and mindfulness. Her work is deeply informed by her dedicated dharma practice and karma yoga training under the tutelage of Qapel and Catherine Pawasarat, dharma and integral evolution trainers, and the Planet Dharma team. This includes mentorship under Duncan Cryle and Karen McAllister, (both, IEC presenters). She has participated in numerous solo and group retreats at Clear Sky Meditation Centre, bringing depth and contemplative insight into her work as a guide and teacher.