Midwest Mandeng - African Drum and Dance Festival

Brace yourselves Central Illinois for the first ever Midwest Mandeng--a full weekend of dancing, drumming, partying, shopping, and community building.

Organized by C-U West African Drum and Dance Collective, Midwest Mandeng takes place on September 12-14, 2014 and will feature 9 drum workshops and 7 dance workshops led by some of the most talented instructors from Guinea, Senegal and Mali. The classes are "all levels" and will be open to people of all ages, races, sizes, classes and fitness ability. In fact, kids under 13 who are accompanying a paying adult attendee and senior citizens dance for free!

In addition to the workshops, there will also be a demonstration and Q&A session geared towards kids at the Urbana Free Library and a "dundunba" party which is an open dance party with live drumming. And to top it all off we are inviting vendors to participate in our African Marketplace to sell clothes, food, instruments or other small items.

The Urbana Arts Council awarded C-U West African Drum and Dance Collective a generous grant towards planning a West African drum and dance festival in our local community! Visit their website to learn more about the festival and how you can get involved with this community effort. http://cuwaddc.weebly.com/