Legacies in Action DWB 2026 | Master Classes For the Masses
Description
Dancing While Black (DWB) Alumni and award-winning artists Adia Whitaker, Rashida Bumbray, Tyrone Bevans and J. Bouey will lead a day of vibrant workshops with centering Black dance praxis.
Open to all. Come move and be moved.
See the schedule and FAQs below for more information.
__
Dancing While Black's Master Classes for the Masses are presented by Angela’s Pulse in collaboration with BAAD!.
Curated by Dancing While Black Co-Directors, Paloma McGregor, Jade Charon Robertson, Joya Powell, Kayla Hamilton.
This year we are celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Dancing While Black Fellowship! SAVE THE DATE for the DWB Story Cirlces and DWB 2026 Fellowship Show.
Thursday, September 3, 2026 6:00pm
Dancing While Black Story Circles at 651Arts
featuring Co-Facilitators Wendi Moore-O'Neal and Paloma McGregor and Storytellers Aimee Cox, Dyane Harvey-Salaam, Eva Yaa Asantewaa, Jason Samuels Smith, Jonathan Gonzalez, and Nigel Campbell.
October 2 & 3, 2026 8:00pm
DWB Fellowship Show at BAAD!
featuring new works in progress by the 2026 DWB Fellows Aryanna Allen, Elinor Kleber Diggs, Imogene Williams, Indigo Sparks, Mai'yah Kau and Quaba Ernest.
Lineup
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Dunham Technique | Folklore for the Folks with Adia Whitaker
Dunham Technique, developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s by Ms. Katherine Dunham, is the embodied movement and lifestyle training practice Dunham created to socially and emotionally develop individuals through the lens of folklore and narrative dance. In its most athletic forms, Dunham Technique prepares the body for kinesthetic rigor in both lyrical and percussive dance styles. Dunham Technique provides a clear framework to build intercultural communication, practice socialization through the arts, and explore the forms and functions of contemporary, vernacular, and traditional movement from all over the world. Dunham Technique is for every single human being. Dancers and non-dancers alike. It is an opportunity to reawaken the connections that our breath, blood, flesh, and bone have to the planet, the environments we navigate, and each other.
1:00 - 2:30 PM Black Body as Archive: Ring Shouts with Rashida Bumbray
In this class, Bumbray and long-time collaborator Ayanna Blue, will lead participants through a process of surrender grounded in ring shouts and improvisation. We will consider together how the incorporation of singing and rhythmic percussion with movement can open the window for personal and collective ancestral healing. **Dress comfortably. No dance experience necessary. Feel free to bring tambourines or bells.
3:00 - 4:30 PM Livin’ like a Punk with Tyrone Bevans & J.Bouey
Originally known as Punking, Waacking is a dynamic dance style created in the LGBT clubs of Los Angeles during the 1970’s disco era. This dance is characterized by posing, emotional character play and rhythmic arm movements. This class aims to be a generative, and joyful growing experience. Dancers will learn how to utilize their bodies through the lens of Waacking and Disco. Dancers will be given the tools to improve musicality and physical awareness through guided exercises. Movers are invited to investigate space, risk, and play with one’s physical vernacular in order to access personal freedom. Wear something that makes you feel fabulous and is easy to move in. Shoes optional
FAQs
- Do I need to purchase a ticket for each class?
No, you will pay what you can as one fee for the full day of masterclasses. On the booking form, please select the workshop(s) you wish to attend to confirm your spot.
There are limited spaces for each class, so please only select the workshops you are certain to attend.
We encourage you to consider contributing a donation to support us in providing access to free workshops and programs featuring Black voices.
- Can I arrive early to warm-up?
Yes, the space is accessible 30 minutes prior to each workshop for participants to warm-up and prepare to move.
- Do I have to be a professional dancer?
No, we encourage people of all levels of experience to join us in the space to move.
Special Thanks to our Funders and Supporters!
Dancing While Black is supported by the Harkness Foundation for Dance, Jerome Foundation and The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowship. Fiscally sponsored by BAAD!, Angela's Pulse is also a recipient of funding from Howard Gilman Foundation and The Mosaic Network & Fund (with lead funding from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)).
__
Photo credits: Adia Whitaker by Anthony Artis, Rashida Bumbray courtesy of the artist, Tyrone Bevans and J.Bouey courtesy of the artists
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
