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Dance
KanKouran West African Dance Company
West AfricanSenegalese
- Location
- Takoma ParkMaryland
- Level
- All levels · Beginners welcome
- How to book
- Sign in and pay at class
- Metro
- Red Line
Traditional West African dance company preserving Senegalese cultural forms, adult community classes welcome complete beginners.
Editor's note
KanKouran is a West African dance company. It describes its mission as preserving and promoting traditional West African culture.
What to expect your first visit
- Classes meet weekly at Dance Exchange in Takoma Park. Check kankouran.org for the current schedule
- Sign in and pay before you go onto the dance floor
- KanKouran strongly recommends joining the warm-up to avoid injury
- Women are asked to wear a t-shirt and athletic shorts with a lappa, a traditional African wrap skirt, over the shorts, out of respect for the culture the dances come from. Men can wear loose athletic wear
- Keep your spacing in the lines, come down the floor with the same partners each time, and thank the drummers at the end of class
- Attending a class gives KanKouran permission to photograph you and use the photos, including for publicity
Best for
Adults interested in learning traditional West African and Senegalese dance forms in an authentic cultural setting
What to expect
KanKouran teaches dance and drumming in the styles of West African cultural groups. Adult dance classes last 90 minutes: a 30-minute warm-up, 30 minutes breaking down the steps, then 30 minutes dancing them across the floor to live drums. Classes are taught by Assane Konte, Sue Ann Forde, a teaching artist from the senior company, or a guest artist.