West-African Dance with Jniifa
Day & Time: Saturday, 12:00 – 19:00
Dates: 03.12.2022 – 03.12.2022
Dive into African dance in this one-day intensive workshop!
With Jenny ("Jniifa") you'll explore two traditional dances from West Africa, accompanied by live drumming by the Wawa Aba Ensemble for an immersive experience of movement and music. Through Jenny's "Culture Talk and Dance" concept, you'll also learn about the histories of these dances and how they connect to their cultures, to get a deeper understanding and context, to gain even more appreciation and inspiration.
Finish off the day by bringing your dance into the present with an Afrobeats class. Connect to the grooves of African pop music, and find a whole new freedom in your movements.
This workshop is open level, anyone can join. Whether you've been dancing for many years or have no experience at all, everyone will have a great time and learn a lot!
This concept was created by Jennifer Owusu (Jniifa) and Lassana Justin Yao. Augmenting dance class with a history and culture lecture means the cultural roots of each dance gets the attention they deserve, and as participants we'll have the chance to first work on our dancing, and then learn more about the culture, so that we can fully focus on one at a time and soak in as much as possible.
It's important to engage with the origins of dances. Each folk dance has a history; there are sacred dances, festive dances, warrior dances, hunter dances, wedding dances, puberty dances and many more. Every people has their own language or dialect, their own norms, values, origins, history and traditions, and this unique identity is reflected through their music and dance.
Bobodon
A traditional dance of the Bobo people of Burkina Faso
75min dance class with live drumming by Wawa Aba Ensemble, followed by 45min lecture.
Mandjani
A traditional dance from the Mandeng region
75min dance class with live drumming by Wawa Aba Ensemble, followed by 45min lecture.
Afrobeats
Afrobeats is danced to Afrobeat music. It's an umbrella term for modern popular dance styles from Ghana and Nigeria; some example styles are Azonto, Shaku, and Zanku. The cultural, social, and free-spirited nature of this style creates a learning atmosphere full of freedom and fun.
1h dance class.
Jennifer Owusu is a choreographer, dancer, and Dun Dun drummer. Ever since she was little she had a deep wish to learn more about her Ghanaian roots and other African cultures. Through regular visits to West Africa and through artistic mentors from West Africa, she learned both traditional and modern dances. Her entrance in the urban dance scene was with Locking, and she competed across Germany in this style. She is the founder of the Afro Dance Group Afrotudedancers, and the board director of the Kulturverein Kaloyelen e.V. In her dance classes, pieces, and projects, she focuses on empowerment and self-expression through dance.
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Here’s where West-African Dance with Jniifa takes place:
SwingStation Kurfürsten-Anlage 58
69115 Heidelberg
The entrance is on the eastern side of the building (toward Stadtwerke), nicely reachable from the Kurfürsten-Anlage itself or from the Kirchstraße.
Public Transportation: many busses, streetcars, trains; stops “Hauptbahnhof” or “Stadtwerke”.
Parking: street parking, best-found in the Kirchstraße. (Please do not park in the yard.)