New York, NY
Teranga Conference
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Location
- The Ailey Studios
- 405 W 55th Street
- New York, NY
Drop-In Class: $25
Saturday Full Pass: $100
Sunday Full Pass: $120
Teranga students pay $18 for single classes. Please visit the Ailey Extension Desk to receive your discount with proof of ID.
The Teranga Conference is an interdisciplinary performing arts and educational cultural conference rooted in the traditions, histories, and contemporary realities of the African Diaspora. Returning for its second annual convening, the 2026 conference expands its scope to include a formal symposium component, inviting artists, educators, scholars, elders, and community practitioners to share research, practice, and embodied knowledge.
This year’s theme is Guardians of Culture: Building Sanctuary through Art and Education. At a time when communities of color—particularly immigrant communities—face intensified threats rooted in racism, classism, and systemic exclusion, Teranga positions culture as sanctuary. Through dance, education, and collective exchange, the conference creates a protected space for learning, storytelling, and movement that honors cultural inheritance and affirms our shared humanity.
Schedule
Saturday, June 13
DANCE CLASS | LECTURE | |
10:00–11:30am | Afro'Dance with Angel Kaba | Caribbean Bodies in Motion: Mas, Carnival, and Diasporic Memory with Ilana "Illy" Warner & Makayla Peterson |
11:30am–1:00pm | Kutiro (Senegal) with Assane Konté | The Classroom as Sanctuary: Sacred Pedagogy and Cultural Identity with Dr. Andrea K. Markus & Imani Naeemah Ife Massicot |
1:00–2:30pm | Guinean Traditional with Moumimatou Camara | Dance as Sanctuary: Healing, Care, and the Body with Hazel M. Avila & Serraya Milland |
2:30–4:00pm | West African / Wongo with Bakary Fall | Dance as Living Archive: Ancestral Knowledge, Decolonial Practice, and Institutional Resistance with Allan Rocero Gitanes, Careitha Davis, and Shawn Short |
4:00–5:30pm | West African / Sabar with Babacar M'Baye | I Am Because We Are: Ubuntu in Practice with Susan Pope, EdD, Dr. Patricia Dye, and Dr. Andrea K. Markus |
Sunday, June 14
DANCE CLASS | LECTURE | |
10:00–11:30am | Kutiro (Senegal) with Ousman Sall | Sanctuary in Motion: Dance, Drum, Community, and Cultural Protection with Persephone DaCosta & Chanon Judson |
11:30am–1:00pm | Haitian Folkloric Dance with Linda Franciose | Holding Space: Dance, Memory, and Cultural Care in Matriarch with Dominique M. Fontenot |
1:00–2:30pm | Traditional Senegalese Dance with Marie Basse-Wiles & Mariama Basse | NY Style Mambo: Storytelling, Culture, and Experiential Pedagogy with Katherine Jiménez |
2:30–4:00pm | West African Dance with Maguette Camara | Ah Going Home: Carriacou Big Drum, Memory, and Return with Shaahida Samuel |
4:00–5:30pm | Guinean Traditional with Ismael Kouyate | Hip-Hop, Groove, and Community Survival with Quilan “Cue” Arnold & Joe Longomo |
| 5:30–7:00pm | Sabar (Senegal) with Bakary Fall | Staying Dry: Collective Movement, Community, and Survival in the Bronx with Stephen Hill |
What is Teranga?
Teranga is a powerful word from the Wolof language of Senegal, often translated as “to welcome,” but it means so much more. Teranga speaks to a deep cultural value of community care, generosity, warmth, and belonging—it is the spirit of welcoming others with open arms, open hearts, and shared joy. The Teranga Conference embodies this energy by creating a space where people feel seen, honored, and invited into a shared experience of learning, culture, and collective care. This weekend is more than a gathering; it is a cultural home space for movement, memory, scholarship, and community.
FAQs
It's easy to start dancing at Ailey Extension. First, create an Ailey Extension Mindbody account online here or through the Ailey Extension app.
We encourage students to register for class in advance—classes and workshops can and do sell out. Simply sign into Mindbody in our app or on your browser, find your class or workshop, click “Book,” and pay for your class.
Students are also welcome to sign up for class at the Extension Desk at The Joan Weill Center for Dance by paying with card, cash, or contactless payments.
You must be 16 or older to take Ailey Extension classes and workshops.
As you enter The Joan Weill Center for Dance, the Extension Desk is directly to your right with clear signage. Our staff will check you in and point you in the right direction of your studio.
Locker rooms and showers are available for daily use on the lower level (LL) if you need to change before class.
Ailey Extension classes are hosted on the lower level (LL), ground floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor, and 6th floor.
Studios are named according to their floor level and position on the floor. A & B studios are to the left and right of the elevators and C & D studios are located down the hallway as you exit the elevator.
If you ever need assistance finding your way around the Ailey Studios, our staff is here to help.
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