Dance

Jade Dancing in the Desert (self portrait)

West & Central African Inspired Dance

I have been drawn to the rhythms and movements of Guinea-style West African dance since I was 15 years old!  Since then, I have been blessed to be invited to dance with Ballet Africains in Guinea in both 2005 and 2008 while also studying under some of the more influential and inspirational teachers such as Youssouf Koumbassa and Moustapha Bangoura.

In 2002 I began sharing these beautiful dance traditions from West Africa with my students in Taos, New Mexico and Tucson, Arizona in a class that I developed called “West African Inspired Dance!Each class begins with a 30-minute vinyasa yoga warm-up inspired by my yoga teacher, the sensational Shiva Rea, from whom I received my yoga teacher training. This warm-up is followed by a juicy, sweaty, impassioned dance class with the BEST LIVE DRUM ENSEMBLE at every class!

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A clip of me demoing my West African Inspired Dance Style for a local TV show:

For up to date information on my west African inspired dance classes in Tucson, please visit:

Tucson West and Central African Inspired Dance Class on Facebook.