CONVERGENCE — DANCE ■ DRUM ■ FOOD ■ CULTURE

ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY PRESENTS

CONVERGENCE — DANCE ■ DRUM ■ FOOD ■ CULTURE

Plan to attend master classes happening in Richmond, Virginia on Saturday, February 21, 11a – 7p, in the Ballroom Pavilion of the Greater Richmond Convention Center, downtown at 5th & Broad Streets. Let’s come together for rooted and fiery African dance and drumming classes. Stay to enjoy a dinner of delicious African food and meaningful conversation in this 100th Black History Month.

Click here for tickets.
Buy Tickets

The instructors are:

Assane Konte | Adult Dance, Ages 11 & Up. The Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Choreographer and Costume Designer for the Washington, DC-based KanKouran West African Dance Company, is indigenous to Senegal in West Africa. His professional dance career began at age 15 with the Ballet Africaine de Diebel Gueye in Dakar. Mr. Konte came to the United States to pursue a career as an independent performer and worked with numerous dance companies as a musical arranger and choreographer. He has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, and he performs and teaches internationally and at universities in metro Washington. The Kennedy Center acknowledges, “Through his careful and meticulous choreography, Mr. Konte has elevated US-based African dance to the highest professional level.”

Fode Moussa Camara | Drum Master drummer, percussionist, folklorist, choreographer, exemplifies the preservation of West African traditions and the influence of these traditions on the world. Born into an artistic family in Conakry, Guinea, Camara honors his family and heritage through his expression of Guinea’s musical traditions and culture. A prodigy at an early age, he has claimed leading roles and is a featured artist as he tours extensively in Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Australia.

Samantha Salters | Adult Dance, Ages 11 & Up. Her vast dance experience includes West African and Caribbean dance forms but also jazz, Hip-hop, step and more. A native of Washington, DC, he is an Adjunct Professor of West African dance at Goucher College and the 2021 inaugural recipient of the Deal-Davis Commission presented by DanceAfrica DC. Ms. Salters’ work has led her to international destinations in Central America and West Africa.

Mayah Walker-Taylor | Children’s Dance, Ages 5 – 10. Trained in traditional West African dance under master teachers including Babatunde Olatunji, Ms. Walker-Taylor has performed on stages including the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the MTV Video Music Awards with Busta Rhymes. She is the Artistic Director of the Ezibu Muntu African Dance Company. She is passionate about teaching children through cultural movement, storytelling, and joy—using dance as a powerful tool for expression, confidence, and connection. Ms. Walker-Taylor was deeply influenced by her mother, the late Faye Walker, former Artistic Director of Ezibu Muntu.

Class Schedule and Advance/Door Tuition:

10:30 Doors Open

11a Mayah Walker-Taylor’s Children’s Dance Class $10/$15 Ages 5 – 10
Noon Fode Moussa Camara’s Drum Class $20/$25 *
1:30p Samantha Salter’s Adult Dance Class $20/$25

3:00p Assane Konte’s Adult Dance Class $20/$25

5:00p Dinner & Conversation $20/$25

7p Doors Close

* Discounted purchases of any two $20 offerings are available for $35 in advance. At the door, purchases of any two $25 offerings are available for $40.
In advance, Day Passes are available for $70 in advance and $90 at the door. The children’s dance class is sold separately only.

Timed street parking is available and discounted all-day parking is available in the deck at 5th & Marshall Streets.

Let’s converge for a perfect day, coming together from different directions to a common point. A point of agreement. A point of joy, of cultural celebration, of energy, of affirmation.

Reserve your spot now! Space is limited, and it will cost a little more at the door.

Click here for tickets.
Buy Tickets