A visiting West African musician has been teaching local artists how to dance to the beat of a different drum.

Born in the village of Dagbamete in the Volta Region of Ghana, Music Africa award winner Kwasi Dunyo has taught drumming and dancing at local, national and international levels.

Mr. Dunyo, who was a lead drummer for the Sankofa Dance Theatre from 1977 to 1981, has been teaching members of the Bermuda African Dance Company the finer points of the traditional Ghanaian art.

The dance company is planning a traditional African dance production at CedarBridge Academy during February or March for Black History Month.

The group is looking for sponsors for the production and plans to raise funds to go to Ghana in July with Mr. Dunyo to study the culture first-hand.

In the meantime, members of the dance company have been learning about the language and spirit at the heart of the music under Mr. Dunyo's instruction.

"I'm in Bermuda to help my brothers and sisters develop their musical spirit,'' said Mr. Dunyo.

"For me, music is a spirit -- the happiest of spirits given by the Creator when we are born.

"This kind of spirit is within everybody in the world -- it is a universal language.

"That universal language can be understood by everybody -- but it takes development to understand and speak that language that is music,'' he added.

Mr. Dunyo explained that in many regions of Africa, music is defined not only as singing or playing instruments, but as a total performance including dance and drama.

And he said the art of drumming is in fact a "very disciplined'' form of music, noting: "It's not just about standing up and beating on a drum.'' Mr. Dunyo said one musical piece may require seven different instruments -- but the `gankogui', which is a bell similar to a cowbell, is the master instrument which controls the drums, singing and dancing.

And the success of the piece depends on all performers paying attention to the discipline and the hierarchy in the music.

The master instrument controls the lead drum -- which in turn controls the supporting drums and the dances.

The lead drum, called `atsimewu' has a bigger, higher tone and establishes a "call and response'' or "question and answer'' pattern with the supporting drums.

"The question comes from the lead drum and the supporting drums must always answer,'' said Mr. Dunyo.

To become a master drummer, it is important to learn how to play different styles and types of drums for different purposes.

Different styles of drumming and dancing can be used to reflect pleasure, during times of war, or sorrow -- as when funeral dances are used to minimise grief.

Drumming can also be used as a means of communication like the talking drum, which is cut in the chief's house because of its importance.

Because of the way sound travels, talking drums can be used to communicate with other villages a distance away to warn of impending danger or to send news about the death of an important member of the community.

"We have a drum called `topani' -- the talking drum -- and it is used for communicating with chiefs and the village elders,'' he said.

"When something happens, you have to make sure you send the correct names, which are very complicated.

"The message must be sent clearly so that during wartime or death people can be prepared.

"And if the drummer mistakes one for the other, you can cause confusion and be heavily fined,'' he added.

Although the art of drumming is ingrained into the everyday fabric of many African cultures, Mr. Dunyo has spent the past several years educating Americans and Canadians about the art.

Mr. Dunyo, who has lectured at the University of Virginia and the University of Toronto, said he has a different method of teaching depending on the people he is dealing with.

"With Bermudians, I've noticed that they're very good at learning quickly -- but the lack of concentration and commitment can be a problem,'' he said.

"The commitment is very, very weak, and they don't seem to take advantage of opportunities -- in the US, they're spending a lot of money on learning this, and I volunteered time to put something concrete here.

"I think we have to start building those things in children from kindergarten through to adulthood.

"Our music is very disciplined and it is community-centred music -- everyone is part of the systems and everyone is equally important.

"This is the time for us to start learning something about our heritage...the united front of Africa is music, music unites us more than anything else.'' For more information about the Bermuda African Dance Company, contact Dawn Broadbelt on 238-2645.