It’s art. It’s the grandfather of rap. It’s cultural understanding. And it’s Saturday.

As the sun slowly sets Saturday, South Bay beach- and dance-lovers can celebrate the longest day of the year with a lively infusion of West African dance and music in Manhattan Beach.

Djimbe West African Drummers and Dancers, a Los Angeles-based group of African-American performers, will mark Manhattan Beach’s second annual summer solstice event with a sunset performance on the beach featuring traditional ballets, costumes and sounds from Mali, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

The colorful, high-energy group regularly performs at schools, festivals and clubs throughout the Southland, but the beach performance holds special appeal, company founder Leon Mobley said.

“We like performing outside,” Mobley said. “We like performing on the earth. We perform barefoot, so contact with the earth, from a spiritual aspect, is very moving for us.”

The program is sponsored by the Manhattan Beach Recreation Department’s Public Arts Program and Manhattan Friends of the Arts.

The show is an example of “bringing art to the people,” city program administrator Howard Spector said.

“We really want to demystify the art aesthetic and take it out of the museum context,” he said.

In turn, Djimbe, through a mix of dance, music and lecture, hopes to demystify African culture by introducing its audience to the stories, customs and values of West African nations.

“A lot of times when (people) see African dance they just think ‘What is that?’ It’s just people jumping around,” Mobley said.

“I think in this world there’s a lot of prejudice and a lot of racism, and that it’s from not knowing anything about each other. But when people see what it’s about, they see they have a lot in common, and they can see there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

During the performance, Mobley may explain the role of the drum in African music or how particular dances are used in village celebrations.

Dressed in traditional African garb, performers will keep rhythm with drums, Dawota bells, which are double-sided bells made of iron, and bead-covered gourds called Shakere. The group will present three main dances during the 45-minute performance.

The “Jellidoun” or “Griot Dance” honors the village griot, the oral historian responsible for keeping the village history alive.

“Nyaka,” the second dance, originates from the Djola people of Gambia and features high-stepping knee movement and fancy footwork that rap music fans may recognize in the dance moves of rapper Hammer.

The strong influence of traditional African movement can be seen in the performance of many Western pop stars, such as Hammer, James Brown, Michael Jackson and others, Mobley said. Even break-dancing has roots in Africa, he said.

Younger audience members may recognize some of the costumes as well, Mobley said. The baggy pants worn by the Djimbe’s male performers are often called “Hammer pants” because the style is similar to those worn by the rapper.

The pants are actually called tube and are worn as dance pants in West Africa, Mobley said. The women don traditional sers, or skirts, and all the performers adorn themselves with African beads and jewelry.

Mobley said the group, while explaining how tradition is reflected in modern dance, music, and dress, also incorporates contemporary styles into its otherwise traditional performance. He plans to perform a rap number about “spreading peace and love.”

And in the final dance, “Dounba,” contemporary African-American dances such as hip hop and traditional African styles are blended. Audience members will be invited onstage to join in the celebration.

What: Djimbe, West African dance and music group.

Where: Manhattan Beach, just north of the pier at the end of Manhattan Beach Boulevard.

When: Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Admission: Free.

Information: (310) 545 5621