CONVERGENCE — DANCE ■ DRUM ■ FOOD ■ CULTURE
2026-02-21 11:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Ballroom Pavilion of the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 5th & Broad Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
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.
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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.
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2026 Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival (Day 1)
2026-04-11 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The Black Book Expo 2026: A Conscious Literary Festival returns for a powerful two-day celebration of Black literature, culture, and community. Hosted at the Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center in Richmond, Virginia, this annual gathering brings together authors, readers, scholars, and families to explore stories and ideas rooted in the African Diaspora.
Join us on April 11 and April 12 for a dynamic experience featuring book vendors, author engagements, cultural discussions, and opportunities to discover works that educate, inspire, and empower. From history and spirituality to children’s literature and contemporary thought, the Expo offers something for every reader.
Whether you are building your personal library, connecting with Black authors, or seeking knowledge that uplifts and informs, the Black Book Expo is a space to learn, engage, and celebrate.
Location: Elegba Folklore Society Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA
Dates: April 11–12, 2026
Come be part of a meaningful cultural experience where books, history, and community come together.

2026 Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival (Day 2)
2026-04-12 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

Performance at VMFA Family Day | Celebrate African and African American Art: Music and Rhythm
2026-06-06 | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts – Cheek Theater, 200 North Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
VMFA
Family Day | Celebrate African and African American Art: Music and Rhythm
June 6
11:30a & 1:00p
Cheek Theater

Elegba Folklore Society welcomes you to Like DNA…the Rhythm, the Dance and the Imagery Connects Us. Join us on a musical journey spiced with West African dance and visual art imagery in a seamless blend with African American musical stylings that illustrate the beauty of the Diaspora. As Elegba is the one who is a way maker, a road opener, today, let us immerse ourselves in expressive arts from the global African world.

Juneteenth 2026, A Freedom Celebration - June 13th - Torch Lit Night Walk, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans
2026-06-13 | Devil’s Half Acre, 1500 E Franklin St., Richmond, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration opens a time when particularly people of African descent can surround themselves energetically with Ancestral vibration to recognize, and see within themselves, the foundational presence of African people in Richmond and in the Americas. Since the 1500s, African people were trafficked to the Americas in the Transatlantic Trade of Enslaved Africans. Beginning in the 1680’s, Africans to be sold landed at or near Richmond’s Manchester Dock, for an entire century. African people along with colonizers and enslavers encountered indigenous people throughout the Americas, including Richmond, whose civilizations were also permanently upended.
Then, boat loads of enslaved Africans were exported to the Deep South from Richmond’s riverside, Rocketts Landing, in coffles, and by rail until 1865. It wasn’t until on or about June 19, 1865, 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted, that enslaved Africans in Texas, a cotton production hold-out, were finally freed by a federal government decree as carried out and embodied by the Union Army.
The public is invited to Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration to for the annual Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans as it immerses attendees in narratives, the historical record and music. It is a sacred, poignant pilgrimage of recognition and acknowledgement. Also, Dancing with the Ancestors follows and invites attendees to ponder, to reflect, to understand, to engage in ritual and to enjoy music, dance, conversation, children’s activities, food, cultural shopping (Ujamaa) and more.
Attendees are asked to wear white, and they may bring ancestral offerings such as flowers, water, fruit or prayers.
“In celebrating our Ancestors who labored in bondage until the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and those in Texas for whom freedom was delayed, attendees can expect an affirming, joyful and thoughtful gathering to be with one another and to say thank you for the strong shoulders upon which we stand,” says Janine Bell, president and artistic director of the Elegba Folklore Society. “Understanding how we got to where we are is a perpetual roadmap towards actualizing a liberated future.”
Visit again for details.

Juneteenth 2026, A Freedom Celebration - June 14th - Dancing With the Ancestors
2026-06-14 | African Burial Ground, 1500 E. Franklin, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

35th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration African American Folklife
2026-08-15 16:00 - 23:00 | Abner Clay Park, Brook Road and West Clay Street, Richmond, 23219, United States
35th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife – August 15, 2026 – Details Below

Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife is a downtown weekend festival that celebrates African American folklife with world music and dance, the Heritage Market, special children’s events, interactive site demonstrations and delicious down home food. It is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990.

35th Annual Down Home Family Reunion Details

2026 Merchandise Vendor Application

2026 Food Vendor Application

Talented Youth Inquiry

2026 Volunteer Application

35TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION SEEKS TO PRESENT TALENTED YOUTH The festival’s Annie Tyler New School Pavilion is a popular haven for our children. Rev. Tyler loved children and worked lovingly with Elegba Folklore Society to create quality cultural experiences for them until her death. May the good she did last forever. Cultural craft making teaches lessons, games ensure fun and the stage showcases talented youth. Please contact us if you are interested in arranging a performance!

Share Your Community Service

SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 35TH DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION If your community-based organization provides a community service you want people to know about, you may want to tell them from a table in the festival’s Waverly Crawley Community Row. Waverly Crawley was a fixture in Richmond’s Historic Jackson Ward, the festival’s location. He constantly encouraged people to get involved in the community to make it better. He wanted people to know that they could make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in a table. May the good he did last forever.

Small Business Exhibitors

Small Business Owners! You are invited to the 35th Down Home Family Reunion! This Celebration of African American Folklife will happen on Saturday, August 15, 2026, 4p – 11p in Richmond, Virginia!

Contact Us to Join Us in the SmartMart

• Display and tell your story

• Interact with and distribute materials to festival attendees

• Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage!

How You Benefit Fast-track the promotions of your products/services to Richmonders and visitors by distributing product samples and prize drawings. Reinforce your marketing and public relations campaigns by distributing your flyers, discount coupons, business cards, surveys and other promotional materials.

Enhance your product or service image in the Richmond business picture. Be highlighted among your peers and in the community in our covered SmartMart business tent. One table, two chairs and signage will be provided. Demonstrate your commitment to civic/social vitality. Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage. This festival connects aspects of West African traditions with those of African Americans through the ambience of a family gathering. The festival’s location is Abner Clay Park, located downtown in Historic Jackson Ward.

World music and dance headline the Down Home Family Reunion along with site demonstrations and children’s programs. This event couples history with its contemporary significance. With an expected attendance of 13,000 the festival includes a SmartMart with you in mind. Please contact us if you are interested.

Hotel Accommodations

We are excited for your visit to Richmond to attend the 35th Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife! The Hampton Inn & Suites Richmond-Downtown offers you a comfy, cozy place for your stay at a discounted rate & with complimentary breakfast.

They’re waiting for your call: 804.643.5400. Tell them you’re coming to visit Elegba Folklore Society and attend the Down Home Family Reunion.

Satellite Parking

A free shuttle will be making regular loops to and from the park and satellite lots at George Washington Carver Elementary School, 1110 W Leigh St and Maggie Lena Walker Governor’s School, 1000 N Lombardy St. Watch for signage at each shuttle stop.

CONTACT US
