Fara Tolno is coming to Ogden to share the drumming and dance of his West African heritage.

“Percussion and dance have been in my life since I was in the womb, because it is traditional norm that was passed down from generations to generations,” said Tolno, 40, born into the Kissdugu tribe, of Guinea. Tolno, on the road, who answered questions by email.

“I grow up around drummers and dancers in my city and it’s part of my culture,” he said.

Now based in Colorado, Tolno travels to share his gifts and hone his skills.

“It’s my life work, yes, because it is my culture and has given me an opportunity to meet different people, travel different places, and make the world … a better place. That’s why I want to pass it down to the next generation in the same way it was passed down to me.”

Tolno will teach two classes, one on dancing and one on drumming, on  May 18 at the Eccles Community Art Center. On May 22, he will offer an African dance and drumming concert, joined by a local dance troupe and by Deja Mitchell, an Eden resident who teaches African drumming and dance and who is a local performer.

“I met Deja from one of the West African drumming and dance camps called Bantou Camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and she is bringing me to do residency in school, workshop and performance in the community,” Tolno said.

His visits to select schools in the Weber and Ogden school districts, along with his classes and concert, are supported by a Weber County RAMP, by the Eccles Community Art Center and by the Weber Arts Council.

Mitchell has brought Tolno in for the past few years.

“He’s had a great reception in schools,” Mitchell said. “They get to experience West African culture, and get an understanding of the dance, the music, and how people live. It opens a window for them. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience anything from another part of the world you have no connection. This helps them gain a personal connection.”

And connections build empathy.

“We live in a world village, and sometimes we don’t have the experience of understanding each other,” Mitchell said. “Something like this can help us feel more connected to others in the world as well as to people in our country from different backgrounds.”

The public concert will be a showcase for drumming and dance, Tolno said.

“The Guinean style of dance or drumming have many different feelings, emotions and meanings to it,” he said. “Energetic, of course, joyful, excitement, exercises, happiness, spiritual. “

His artistic journey has changed him, Tolno said.

“As I grow to love my art, I love … how the drumming and dancing don’t have a border, race, or color line,” he said.

Tolno has used his art and visibility to help support people back home, Mitchell said.

“Fara has his own foundation for work he does in Africa,” she said. “He is helping get clean water to people, and he is establishing a school. It’s important for him to give back to the youth of that culture, and help them preserve their art and knowledge.”

Mitchell recommends both the classes and the concert. Space is limited for both, she said.

“Fara’s energy is through the roof, and he is a sought-after artist,” she said. “He is very skilled at communicating across all ages and skill levels.”

Tolno likes to see people enjoy his classes.

“Everybody is welcome to participate when they open their mind and heart to it,” he said. “I also like how you can make music in two minutes with drumming without being a musician and how you can dance without being a dancer, it is good for everybody. It also changes peoples’ lives and gives them joy when their body moves in different ways.”

He hopes his concert will touch people.

“I think the audience will get all the different range of emotion,” he said. “This is what West African drumming and dancing does to people from all color and background.”

Contact reporter Nancy Van Valkenburg at 801-625-4275 or nvan@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @SE_NancyVanV; on Facebook at facebook.com/SE_NancyVanV.

PREVIEW

• WHAT: Fara Tolno concert
• WHEN: 7 p.m. May 22
• WHERE: Eccles Community Art Center, 2580 Jefferson Ave., Ogden
• TICKETS: $12, 801-392-6935. Limited seating.
• RELATED EVENTS: Dance class, 5:30 p.m. May 18, $15. Drum class (drums available), 7:30 p.m. May 18, $12. Registration: 801-392-6935.