Faculty
Delali Dagadu
African Dance
Mon: 7:30 to 8:30 PM, Fri: 6:30 to 7:30 PM
Originally from West Africa, Liberia, Delali Dagadu has been dancing for 21 years, and teaching African dance moves for over 11 years. Dancing is an essential part of her West African heritage and a way of life; hence, she grew up naturally dancing to the sound of African drumming and music.
Sharing her rich African heritage, Delali has organized dance workshops and choreographed dances for dancers and non-dancers, for fitness and entertainment purposes. Dancing in African culture is about telling a story of life’s daily events: the birth and naming of a child, the rite of passage to adulthood, marriage, celebration of victory and life, and death. For Delali, dancing is an artful expression of the body and soul; the soul feels and hears the tune and the body communicates the emotion of the soul.
Delali can artfully craft African dance moves to the tune of contemporary rhythms and beats, and she knows how to skillfully teach non-dancer how to move to the sound and feel of the beat. Her most recent project involved a choreographed West African dance telling the story of Women on the Rice Farm, performed by students and staff for a Black History Month celebration at an international school in DC.
The goal of this African dance fitness class is to teach students how to freely flow with the rhythm and beat of African music and drumming, all while having fun and naturally burning calories. The class will give students a total body workout, with a focus on the abs, waistline, and legs. It is structured to encourage fun learning and creativity.
Students will learn how to smoothly move in between rhythms, without missing a beat, all while having fun and burning calories.
Because drums are essential components of most African dancing, a major part of this class will involve drumming, sometimes live drumming.
Students will learn how to listen to the sound and rhythm of the drums and move their body in a story-telling form.
Students who take this class and develop the skill of listening to the sound and feel of the beat will find it easier to naturally move their body in tune to any music.
Come learn and have fun dancing to the rhythms and beats of African drumming and music as you naturally burn calories, shrink your waistline, tighten your abs and strengthen your legs.