Brooklyn’s Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, which has taught youth African Diaspora dance and music for over 24 years, returns with its 9th annual ART IS ALIVE festival.
The week-long, free celebration runs Sept. 14–20, at the organization’s headquarters at 506 Macdonough St. This year’s festival is the most ambitious yet, offering more than 20 hours of programming.
Workshops, networking mixers, community celebrations, food and family-friendly activities will take place throughout the week, while dance classes are free but require advance reservations due to limited capacity.
The festival wraps up on Saturday, Sept. 20, with a six-hour Block Party featuring live music across genres like contemporary jazz, salsa, spoken word, Latin and Hip-Hop.
Festival Highlights:
- 11 dance classes, including West African, tap, Djembe, salsa, hip-hop, majorette, Haitian, Sabar, and Dunham techniques, led by instructors such as Mouminatou Camara, Joseph Webb, Yao Ababia and Cory Villegas.
- Six-hour Block Party finale on Sept. 20, 12:00pm–6:00pm, hosted by Marlon Rice, with performances by The Last Poets, Grupo Sabrosura, DJ Hard Hittin’ Harry, Kweku Sumbry, Antoine Roneyand Saidou Sangare.
- Workshops, community awards, local vendors, food and family-friendly programming all week.
ART IS ALIVE is executive produced by K. Osei Williams, executive director of Asase Cultural Arts Foundation and produced by Mesha Millington.
“It’s seven days long and our longest ever, and we’re excited to celebrate the richness of African and African Diasporic multi-disciplinary art forms through dynamic dance classes, live music performances, workshops and community programming," Williams said. "Most importantly, this is a festival for everyone; families, friends, and artists alike, and there’s truly something for every member of our community to enjoy.”
Festival Schedule Highlights:
- Sept 14: Djembe West African dance with Yao Ababio, 3:00pm.
- Sept 15: Salsa with Cory Villegas, 6:00pm; Tap with Joseph Webb, 7:30pm.
- Sept 16: Ma’at Pilates with Dyane Harvey Salaam, 6:30pm; West African dance with Mouminatou Camara, 7:30pm.
- Sept 17: Majorette with Ajale' Olaséni, 6:00pm; Haitian dance with Nadia Dieudonné, 7:30pm.
- Sept 18: Dunham Technique with Adia Whitaker, 6:00pm; Sabar with Babacar M’Baye, 7:30pm.
- Sept 19: Dance session hosted by Chry Baby, 7:30pm.
- Sept 20: Block Party, 12:00pm–6:00pm; live performances 2:00pm–6:00pm.
