For the past five years I've been going to Senegal for a two-week dance and drumming holiday with Diene Sagna and his company Yaye Dib Dance. I always come back filled with joy, with nostalgia at having left Senegal again, and with a hunger to dance sabar all the time.
I'll be following up this article with a further blog featuring a video interview with Diene, But for now, just a couple of weeks after landing back in the UK, I wanted to share some of the happy vibes I always bring back in my heart from Senegal.
The pull of Aksilen
I rarely visit places more than once, but Senegal keeps drawing me back. I feel like a piece of string attaches itself to my heart around autumn time and says to me every day, "Come on, you know you want to go back!"
I first met Diene in late 2013 when he was teaching in London. I went along to a class and was hooked. Live drumming, beautiful, challenging sabar dance rhythms, so much joy, and so many amazing connections with others that have grown and grown ever since. I love this clip of Diene at one of our classes in 2016:
Diene trained at the prestigious Centre Culturel Régional Blaise Senghor in Dakar. As well as specialising in sabar dance, he's also highly skilled in many other West African rhythms and dance - as can be seen from this high-energy solo in London back in 2015:
Diene's holiday in Senegal is called Aksilen, meaning "welcome" in Wolof. It's filled with dance, drumming, and sharing good vibes with his wonderful family, friends, and teachers of dance and drumming. It's the perfect way to accelerate learning levels in sabar.
Aksilen + Jump for Joy 10th anniversary, 2021!
Next year's event is going to be really special! For the first time, Diene will combine Aksilen with his annual Jump for Joy festival that normally takes place in Europe. Save the dates (10-23 January 2021) and I hope to see some of you there next year for the big celebrations!
Want to find out more?
If you've never seen sabar before, you're in for a treat! Check out the links below, and don't forget to subscribe to Yaye Dib TV on YouTube for regular updates from Senegal and around the world.
Blog copyright Barbara Grehs
Published on 8 Feburary 2020
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