Dance for Joy!
Immersive Performance Workshops
This fall Cumbe is continuing the celebration of our 10 year anniversary by inviting you to ”Dance for Joy!”, a dance and performance workshop series created to unite members of our community through a spiritual exploration of African Diaspora dance styles in a series of donation based, immersive dance classes.
Running from September 25th - December 3rd, Dance for Joy will take you on a powerful journey of self exploration and discovery through a series of 8 ongoing workshops: Haitian, Afro-Fusion, Samba + Brazilian, West African Dance and Drum, Brazilian Drumming, and two distinctly African American forms; Dunham Jazz and Chicago Style Steppin’.
Discover the transformative power of African Diaspora dance and culture by adding the consistent practice of this incredible art form into your life. Children learn, grow, and explore through art and far too often we lose that as we become adults. Cumbe wants to encourage adults everywhere to tap into the benefits of utilizing the art of African Diaspora dance and culture as a source of energy, education, inspiration, fitness, and self expression. Where there is a human emotion there is a dance to demonstrate that and the amazing teachers featured in this series will guide you through powerful dance forms and inspire you to embrace the freedom and strength that comes from physical movement rooted in African culture.
As your body dives into deep conversations with the beat emanating from the drums, you will feel freer and more open. Tap into your ability to listen, dance in a line, and connect with the drummers as well as your fellow students, ultimately feeling the strength of African Diaspora dance and the support stemming from the unification of community. Reconnect with your joy within and resist being defined by your challenge and difficulties. Joy helps us thrive and the beauty of this feeling will illuminate performances by you and your fellow students during Fet Iajwa, a celebratory Student Showcase performed at the Billie Holiday Theatre followed by a holiday party in Studio 1 on December 4th, 2022.
As Cumbe continues our efforts in bringing people together and building a strong community, the Dance for Joy! Performance Workshops are donation based ($5 - $35). If you can, we invite you to contribute $16 - $30 as your contribution will help us embrace ashé, the power within all of us to produce change, by creating a community at Cumbe where everyone can afford to take classes. Our desire is to pay homage to the cultures within our neighborhood and community of dancers by offering culturally relevant classes and making them accessible to all, so sign up and bring a friend to share in the joy this fall season at Cumbe.
View all the workshops featured in this series and sign up here. See you there!
Made possible by support from Con Edison, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, M&T Bank, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Event Details
Date:
Dance for Joy Series: September 25th, December 3rd. Fet Iajwa Student Showcase at the Billie Holiday Theater: December 4th
Classes + Instructors:
Sundays: DUNHAM JAZZ · Candice Michelle Franklin · 2:15-3:45pm SIGN UP
Mondays: HAITIAN · Julio Jean · 6:30-8:00pm SIGN UP
Tuesdays: WEST AFRICAN IVORY COAST · Vado Diomande · 6:30-8:00pm SIGN UP
Tuesdays: AFRO-FUSION · Tamara Jones · 7:00-8:30pm SIGN UP
Wednesdays: SAMBA + BRAZILIAN · Quenia Ribeiro · 7:30-9:00pm SIGN UP
Thursdays: WEST AFRICAN DRUMMING · Vado Diomande · 6:30-8:00pm SIGN UP
Thursdays: CHICAGO STYLE STEPPIN · NY Chi Style Steppers · 7:00-8:30pm SIGN UP
Fridays: AFRO BRAZILIAN DRUMMING · Batalá NY · 7:00pm - 8:30pm SIGN UP
Want to partner with us?
Cumbe is super excited to partner with like-minded organizations and companies as we continue to dig deep and reimagine the arts and activism. Learn more about our partnership opportunities by emailing us at info@cumbedance.org.