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214 West Clay Street, Mebane, NC 27302Monday to Thursday: 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. · Saturday: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. · Friday and Sunday: ClosedMonday to Thursday: 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.Fall registration opens in August(919) 555-0119
Sabar Dance and DrumMebane, North Carolina
Try a class
Try a class

West African dance and drum in Mebane

Learn to dance to a live drum

Sabar Dance and Drum teaches the dances and rhythms of Senegal to children, teens and adults. Most classes are danced to live drumming, and the schedule marks which ones.

Try a classSee the schedule
  • Ages 6 to adult
  • Live drumming
  • Spring performance in May
Children in printed wrap skirts dancing across a studio floor behind a teacher in a yellow wrap, while two drummers sit at their drums at the side

This week's classes

Fall session

Showing 11 of 11

  • Monday

    • 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm

      Adult sabar with live drums

      Aminata Sow · Main studio

      AdultsAdult open levelOpenTry a class

    • 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

      Hand drum lessons

      Cheikh Ndiaye · Drum room

      AdultsBeginner drumOpenTry a class

  • Tuesday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Teen sabar with live drums

      Daba Sylla · Main studio

      13 to 17TeensOpenTry a class

    • 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

      Adult beginners

      Recorded music · Chantelle Eggleston · Main studio

      AdultsAdult beginnerOpenTry a class

  • Wednesday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Teen drum lessons

      Modou Diop · Drum room

      13 to 17Beginner drumOpenTry a class

    • 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm

      Adult sabar with live drums

      Aminata Sow · Main studio

      AdultsAdult open levelWaitlistJoin the waitlist

  • Thursday

    • 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

      Teen sabar

      Recorded music · Daba Sylla · Main studio

      13 to 17TeensOpenTry a class

    • 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

      Adult beginners with live drums

      Chantelle Eggleston · Main studio

      AdultsAdult beginnerOpenTry a class

  • Saturday

    • 9:30 am – 10:30 am

      Kids sabar with live drums

      Chantelle Eggleston · Main studio

      6 to 9First stepsOpenTry a class

    • 10:45 am – 11:45 am

      Kids sabar with live drums

      Daba Sylla · Main studio

      10 to 12Steps and rhythmsOpenTry a class

    • 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

      Family class with live drums

      Aminata Sow · Main studio

      All agesFirst stepsOpenTry a class

Sample classes.

Levels

A dancer moves up when the teacher says the steps and the rhythms are ready, and the dancer or family agrees.

  1. 01

    First steps

    Ages 6 to 9
    Skills

    • Clapping and stepping to a steady beat

    • Call and response with the drum

    • Two or three sabar steps in a row

    Moving up

    The teacher talks with the family after a session. There is no test.

  2. 02

    Steps and rhythms

    Ages 10 to 12
    Skills

    • Linking steps into a phrase

    • Following the drummer's calls

    • Counting a rhythm out loud

    Moving up

    Dancers move to the teen class the session after they turn 13, or stay if they would like another session.

  3. 03

    Teens

    Ages 13 to 17
    Skills

    • Longer phrases set to live drumming

    • Knowing which rhythm a dance belongs to

    • Dancing a short solo turn in the circle

    Moving up

    Teens join the adult open level when they are 18, or earlier if the teacher and the family agree.

  4. 04

    Adult beginner

    Adults
    Skills

    • The basic steps, slowly and in pieces

    • Finding the beat in the drum

    • Dancing at your own pace

    Moving up

    Come for as many sessions as you like. Most dancers join the open level after one or two.

  5. 05

    Adult open level

    Adults
    Skills

    • Full phrases and the calls that change them

    • Dancing with the drummers, not to them

    • Entering and leaving the circle

    Moving up

    There is no higher level. Dancers who join the spring performance rehearse in this class.

Where to startBook a trial class

Sample levels.

Dancers and drummers

Five teachers, three of them dancers and two of them drummers. Classes are taught in English, and Wolof and French are spoken at the studio.

  • Cheikh Ndiaye, director and lead drummer, seated behind a hand drum in the studio

    Cheikh Ndiaye

    Director and lead drummer

    Cheikh grew up in Dakar among drummers, where each sabar rhythm belongs to an occasion, and he teaches each rhythm with the occasion it comes from. He leads the drum lessons and plays for the adult and teen classes. Speaks Wolof, French and English.

  • Aminata Sow, dance teacher, seated on a bench in the studio holding a pair of dance shoes

    Aminata Sow

    Dance teacher, adults and families

    Aminata teaches the adult open level and the Saturday family class, and she calls the dances by their Wolof names. Speaks Wolof, French and English.

  • Chantelle Eggleston, dance teacher, in a white top and a green wrap skirt, one arm reaching out in a dance step

    Chantelle Eggleston

    Dance teacher, beginners and kids

    Chantelle teaches the adult beginner classes and the first-steps class on Saturday mornings, and she is the teacher a family meets at the door. Speaks English and French.

  • Daba Sylla, dance teacher for teens and kids, mid-step in a mustard top in the studio

    Daba Sylla

    Dance teacher, teens and kids

    Daba leads the teen classes and the ages 10 to 12 class on Saturday. Speaks Wolof, French and English.

  • Modou Diop, drummer and drum teacher, standing in an olive hoodie in the studio

    Modou Diop

    Drummer, drum lessons

    Modou plays sabar and the tama, the talking drum, and teaches the teen drum lessons on Wednesdays. Speaks Wolof, French and English.

Hands, drums and the floor

Two hands tapping the head of a plain hand drum together
Two hands on a hand drum
Sample
A hand-held tambourine with a plain ribbon resting on a wooden studio floor
A tambourine on the floor
Sample
A wide view of a studio with children seen as small figures at a distance, dancing in a circle
A circle at a distance
Sample
Bare feet planted in a wide stance on a wooden studio floor
Bare feet on the floor
Sample
Small hands shaking a coloured egg shaker, close view
A shaker in small hands
Sample
Adult dancers resting on a bench after class, laughing, with towels around their shoulders
After class
Sample

Sample photos.

The year at a glance

This school year
  1. Applications open

    Fall registration opens

    In August

    Register on our registration page, and book a trial class if you haven't tried one.

  2. Open house

    Open class evening

    Late August

    Hear the drums, meet the teachers and join in a short class.

  3. First day

    Fall session starts

    Early September

    The week after Labor Day.

  4. Event

    Drum and dance weekend

    In October

    One rhythm taught slowly across two days, for dancers and drummers.

  5. Closed

    Closed for Thanksgiving

    Late November

    The studio is closed for the week.

  6. First day

    Winter session starts

    Early January

    New dancers are welcome at the first class.

  7. Deadline

    Wraps and head ties

    In March

    Dancers in the spring performance choose their cloth and are fitted in person.

  8. Recital

    Spring performance

    In May

    A Saturday afternoon in a community hall in Mebane, with live drumming for every dance and open seating.

Sample dates.

Try a class

Pick a class from the schedule and book a visit on our registration page. Wear something you can move in; bare feet or socks are fine.

Try a class
Phone(919) 555-0119
Hours
Monday to ThursdayToday
4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
SaturdayToday
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Friday and SundayToday
Closed