West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Haitian

Class review: Basis-Beg African Dance is better than cardio @ the gym

by FitEngine

Djoniba Dance Centre @ Peridance Capezio Center CLASS LEVEL: BEG-BASIC JONEEBA AFRICAN FE Reporter: Nellie Rainwater: Yoga and Modern dance instructor. Beginner at african, ethnic and latin dance styles. This class has been reviewed by almost every local NYC media outlet and has been featured on various NYC TV news programs relating to fitness and [...]

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Class review: Open Afro Caribbean @ Peridance Studios NYC

by Yumilka - Beginner/Advanced Beginner: Dance/Fitness

Joneeba Dance and Drum Center @Peridance CLASS LEVEL: Open Afro Caribbean DATE/TIME: Tuesday's 7:30-9:00pm. Thursday's 6:00-7:30pm INSTRUCTOR:  Richard Gonzalez What was your assessment on class? I was expecting a similar mood typical of an African-based class. To my surprise, Richard Gonzalez’s teaching style was new and a bit challenging to keep up with and he was [...]

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Class Review: Basic-Beg Joneeba African Dance @ Peridance Studios NYC

by Yumilka - Beginner/Advanced Beginner: Dance/Fitness

Djoniba Dance Centre @ Peridance Capezio Center CLASS LEVEL: BEG-BASIC JONEEBA AFRICAN My goal for this class was to break a sweat and have the opportunity to dance “it” off.  And, after class I was emotionally hyped, invigorated and refreshed from working out and dancing. I left with the feeling of wanting to take the class over [...]

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Class Review:Beg African Dance @ Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre

by Elaine Y - Adv Beginner: Fitness. Non-dancer

Djoniba Dance & Drum Centre CLASS LEVEL: Beginner African Dance with Djoniba I was taking Djoniba’s class for the first time. Undoubtedly, Djoniba’s classes are well-known and draw new students to his studio. There were around 20-30 students in the class, which mostly consisted of women of various ages (there was one male student). Having [...]

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Class review: Beg-Basic Joneeba African @ Peridance Center

by Michelle P - Advanced: dance (pre-professional)

Djoniba Dance Centre @ Peridance Capezio Center   CLASS LEVEL: BEG-BASIC JONEEBA AFRICAN The Beg-Basic Joneeba African class taught by Djoniba was a high energy workout by means of soulful expression through organic movement. We started warming-up by moving the body in space to the rhythms followed by dynamic stretching. The abdominal work was intense and [...]

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Article: Dancing as a healer

by FitEngine

Oriental dance and African dance There are many things in life we can do to show emotions and let others know how we feel. Some people sing, some people write poetry and prose, some retreat within themselves and hold it all inside. Others dance. Dance has for centuries been a way to express a wide [...]

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Class Review: Beg-Basic Africa Dance (Djoniba) @ Djoniba Dance and Drum Center

by Kara M - Advanced: dance./Beginner: fitness

Djoniba Dance and Drum Center
CLASS LEVEL: BEGINNER
The basic-beginner African Dance class I took with Djoniba was extremely aerobic, and almost entirely filled with people who obviously had some form of dance or movement background. The warm up included a long and challenging abs workout, and I was sweating within minutes. The remainder of the class

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Class Review: Samba / Afro Brazilian @ The Ailey Extension: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

by Jessica B - Beginner: fitness

The Ailey Extension


CLASS LEVEL: BEGINNER
This class was very welcoming, fun and upbeat. It was filled with women of all ages and backgrounds and was designed to specially tailor the beginning samba learners. It did seem like a beginner class in that it taught you the technique and really broke down the steps. The instructor

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Class Review: West African – Open

by Carolyn M - Intermediate: dance/fitness

Djoniba Dance & Drum Center


CLASS LEVEL: OPEN WEST AFRICAN

The rhythm of the live drums, clapping, and hoots of inspiration completely made me forget about the intense cardio I was engaging in. Only when class was over and I had to wring my drenched hair was I reminded that this was actually working out. This class if perfect for people who stray from fitness because of the monotonous boredom (i.e., running on a treadmill like a hamster). [...]

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Class Review: Intro to Horton

by Jessica B - Beginner: fitness

The Ailey Extension: The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater


CLASS LEVEL: INTRO/BEGINNER


This was the smallest class out of the ones I have taken at Ailey and probably the most intimidating, initially. The class seemed aimed at improving flexibility through stretching as well as strengthening a few key muscle groups. My class had about 15 students. All women except for two guys. In the first ten minutes, it didn’t seem to be an introduction to Horton class because everyone knew exactly what to do without any explanation. However, the instructor was very welcoming and encouraging [...]

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