SENEGAL CULTURAL IMMERSION EXPERIENCE
2024-2025 Dance, Drum, and Culture!
Dakar + surrounding area, Senegal
Dance, drum, and explore the vibrant culture of Senegal!
Join your hosts, Abagail Fritz and Moussa N'Diaye in and around Dakar, Senegal December 27 - January 10th, 2025 for a two week journey.
We'll be dancing, drumming, exploring local sights, and participating in local events such as tannebers, concerts, traditional ceremonies, and Senegalese soirees. Enjoy 2 x dance classes a day Monday - Thursday, one on Fridays and Saturdays, rest days on Sundays. Not into dancing? No problem, there will be plenty of other activities to choose from, and we'll be sure to give you a well-rounded cultural experience from cooking and language classes, to learning about local hot spots, to experiencing nightlife and traditional customs. You will be well taken care of by your hosts, Abagail and Moussa, who will lead some of the dance classes in Sabar Dance, Afro Fusion Dance, as well as our team of local collaborators who will lead Mbalax Dance, guest Sabar Dance classes, and Drum classes. This trip is specially curated to accommodate all levels of dancers, drummers, and folks with other interests.
Group Excursions to Goree Island and Lac Rose + Light Travel
We'll take a guided tour of Goree Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. It’s known for its role in the 15th- to 19th-century Atlantic slave trade. On the narrow streets, colonial buildings include the House of Slaves, now a museum. The 19th-century Fort d’Estrées houses the IFAN Historical Museum, with exhibits on Senegal’s past.
Lac Rose, also known as Lake Retba or Pink Lake, is currently under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status. The lake is a real natural curiosity thanks to the exceptional coloring of its waters which change daily from mauve to scarlet pink. With a maximum depth of 3 m, it contains a significant quantity of salt which has been exploited and exported throughout the sub-region since the 1970s.
We'll take some local trips to the coastal Lebou community of Bargny to experience some of the customs and traditions of the Lebou. We'll visit either Toubab Dialaw or Saly for a few days of beach side rejuvination as we continue to dance, drum, and learn about the culture.
WHAT IS INCLUDED:
- Dance classes in Sabar, Mbalax, Afro Fusion and maybe more! Dance twice a day Monday - Thursday. One class on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Lodging with AC, western toilets, WIFI, and washer.
- Airport transportation to/from Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS) in Dakar, Senegal..
- Fresh, home-made made Senegalese cuisine with our trusted personal cooks.
- Tea, coffee, and filtered water at all meal times.
- Drum classes: minimum 3 x week (based on group interest).
- 2 group excursions to Goree Island with guided tour, and Lac Rose.
- Youssou N'Dour New Years concert in Dakar.
- Access/entry to community performances, concerts, and events: tannebers, baptism ceremony, Senegalese soirees, live music concerts and more!
- Visit to Museum of Black Civilizations in Dakar.
- Beach time to relax.
- All ground transportation for regularly scheduled group activities, in a private car reserved for our group.
- One month complimentary access to Heart Dancer Experience online dance and fitness programs, one month prior to our trip.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:
- Airfare/flights
- Alcoholic beverages, coconuts, smoothies, or specialty drinks like soda.
- Personal shopping, personal excursions outside our group.
- Private lessons.
- Home cooked delicious Senegalese meals by our personal cooks -
All meals are made from scratch with fresh produce and ingredients bought daily. Our trusted local cooks, whom we've worked with for over 6 years, always prepare our meals using filtered water, NO MSG, and plates can cater to vegetarian diets. Meals may include fresh local bissap, ginger, or baobab juices, all made with local flavors of course!
TRIP PRICING
EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT RATE (by October 15):
- Single occupancy room $2,700 usd.
- Double occupancy room $2,100 usd.
REGULAR RATE (after October 15):
- Single occupancy room $3,000 usd.
- Double occupancy room $2,400 usd.
MEET YOUR HOSTS:
Moussa N'Diaye
Moussa was born in 1991 in Senegal, West- Africa. Coming from a griot family of musicians, dancers and storytellers, Moussa learned dancing at a very young age. He received professional training by his uncle Bane Ndiaye, Germaine Acogny at Ecole the Sable and Pape Moussa Sonko. In Senegal he danced with international artists such as Baaba Maal, Yousou Ndour and Abdou Guite Seck and directed and choreographed his own ballet Synchro Art.
Moussa was invited to Belgium in 2013 by theater maker Chokri Ben Chika to perform in “De Waarheids commisie”. He moved to Amsterdam were he is based since.
Still working for Ben Chika (Flemish Primitives, Waarheidscommissie, Moussa also organises the annual festival the African Origin Dance Challenge in Amsterdam and gives workshops in different cities such as Hongkong, Essen, Marseille, Amsterdam and Oslo. He has been performing all over the world with artists such as musicians Gala, Yousou Ndour, My Baby, Kenny B, Eva Simons, The Nederlands Blazers ensemble and he did several projects with installation artist
Dries Verhoeven.
Moussa teaches weekly classes djembe-, afro- and sabar dance in Amsterdam West, Amsterdam Zuid-Oost (Untold) and Heemskerk (Danstuin) and at different schools throughout the country.
