West African Drum & Dance Society

Details of the West African Drum & Dance Society and how you can get involved.

West African Drum & Dance Society logo: there is a man and a woman on a white background dancing. They are both wearing traditional dress which is yellow, red, orange and green. In the centre is black text which reads: West African Drum and Dance Society

Welcome to the West African Drum & Dance Society! We deliver high energy drumming and dance classes with live djembe drumming based on traditional West African rhythms and choreographies. Bring your friends, bring your energy and come and have a good time!

We have weekly dance classes on Wednesdays in the Chaplaincy 5-7pm. Our drumming classes are on Mondays and Tuesdays at Pleasance, please see our EUSA page (link below) for more information about drumming classes. 

West African rhythms and dances are recognised as a global form of dance and have influenced many modern day dances and music genres, however, they will always have strong roots in West Africa. Dancing and drumming is traditionally used in a variety of ways such as: to celebrate life - from birth through to death, to promote and protect the year’s harvest, a form of communication with the Gods, to ward off evil spirits, to resolve conflict, and many other parts of life. Dance has, and will, continue to serve these functions. 

A wide range of rhythms and dances are taught in our classes such as: Makru, Mendiani, Kpanlogo, Kassa and many more! These rhythms and dances belong to various ethnic groups throughout West Africa and are often practiced at social gatherings.

Here at the West African Drum & Dance Society we prioritise teaching dances and rhythms in a traditional and respectful manner with an emphasis on understanding and celebrating the roots of these dances and rhythms to fully appreciate the culture we are embracing. 

As we come together to dance at the beating of a drum (or djembe, in our case!), we share amongst ourselves a sense of belonging and of solidarity with one another! From everyone in the society, we look forward to seeing you all there!

If you have any queries or questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch either via email (afrodrumdance.ed@gmail.com) or drop us a message on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/afrodrumdance). 

Please note: For dance classes we recommend wearing comfy clothes, like baggy trousers/sportswear, to dance in and we usually dance barefoot (but we recommend trainers otherwise.  

Email: afrodrumdance.ed@gmail.com 

EUSA Page: https://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/activities/view/westafricandance 

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/afrodrumdance

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