Balafon West African Dance Ensemble

08/30/2026

Black River African Dance Festival Workshop Series Kickoff!!!!
Dance Class... 12:30-2pm...

08/29/2026

Give 8/28 wraps up tonight — thank you to our first supporters today, who helped us raise $525, over 60% of our $828 goal! 💛

You can contribute to Balafon any day of the year at www.balafon.org/donate but there's something different about giving alongside community, all on the same day, for causes you believe in. That's what today's been about.

And Black August isn't over! Gifts made online through our Givebutter fundraising page are being matched 5% until September 1. So even if you're just seeing this now, there's still time to make it count.

Make a gift that keeps giving → https://givebutter.com/0AnovU

Times as they are, we appreciate everyone who can give now, and everyone considering what they can do later. We'll be sure to let you know when the next moment comes around.

08/28/2026

It's Give 8/28 — a national day of giving to Black-led and Black-benefiting nonprofits, and this year, for the first time, Balafon is part of it.
This day exists to lift up organizations doing work like ours: carrying forward culture, building community, and creating something worth investing in. We're honored to stand alongside hundreds of other Black-led organizations today.
Join Balafon in standing with the movement: https://www.give828.org/

08/19/2026

TONIGHT: City of Asylum World of Music Series is taking you to West Africa. This special show is full set of traditional rhythms with a twist and special guest on piano.

If you missed the 2025 Black River African Dance Fest Concert you'll want to catch this one. A few seats may still be available or register to tune in to LiveStream at 7:00PM.

City of Asylum
World of Music: Balafon
August 19 @ 7:00 - 8:30 PM EDT
40 W. North Avenue, Pittsburgh 15212

GET TIX: https://cityofasylum.org/program/world-of-music-balafon-west-african-drumming-dance/

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08/01/2026

🗣️ Upcoming Show!!! We're soooo excited!!!

📍City of Asylum
🗓️Wednesday, August 19
🕖7:00pm...

Tickets👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
In person: City of Asylum

Outside of Pittsburgh??? Livestream Available 🖥️...

A 10-piece ensemble with a passion for “dancing out loud” performs music from Guinea and other areas of West Africa with beautiful costuming, powerful movement, and spirited song.

07/25/2026

This Weekend… This Weekend… Saturday, July 25!!!

Join The Legacy Arts Project for their 14th Annual Dance Africa Pittsburgh, celebrating the art, music, and culture of Africa and the Diaspora…

07/10/2026

We are so excited to support our The Legacy Arts Project family as they bring the 14th Annual Dance Africa Pittsburgh outside...

See you there!

🥁 Featured Performer Announcement! 🌍

Get ready for the powerful rhythms and electrifying energy of Balafon West African Dance Ensemble at Dance Africa Pittsburgh 2026 Community Festival!

Balafon West African Dance Ensemble brings the rich traditions of West Africa to life through vibrant dance, live drumming, and dynamic storytelling. Their performances celebrate culture, community, and the spirit of Africa, inviting audiences of all ages to experience the joy, power, and beauty of traditional West African arts.

📅 Saturday, July 25, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
📍 10 Children’s Way (across from the Children’s Museum)
🎉 FREE Community Festival!

Bring your family, invite your friends, and join us for an unforgettable day of music, dance, food, vendors, and cultural celebration. We can’t wait to see you there!

06/22/2026

Tonight at 7:30: Get energized and explore African arts traditions with Balafon West African Dance Ensemble. All bodies, ages, and experience levels are invited to deepen dance technique or simply get moving to captivating rhythms. Community Classes are beginner-friendly spaces geared towards the fitness and fundamentals needed for all dance levels. Move at your own pace just for the fun of it while letting loose and tapping into the spirit of lively, liberating African dance. Location: KST's Alloy Studios. Learn more: https://www.radworkshere.org/events/balafon-community-dance-class-for-juneteenth
Balafon West African Dance Ensemble

06/19/2026

Black History Month Pop Up Class 2025 throwback 🖤 ...and we're back at it!

June is for celebrating freedom and what better way than moving together? This month we're honoring Juneteenth and Black Music Month by extending out class series with FREE classes at KST's Alloy Studios. Come as you are, give what you can.

Monday classes kick off at 6:15PM with Kituro drumming with Papa Dame Guye — then flow right into West African dance at 7:15PM with Ebony Castaphney. Music and movement to feed the spirit. First time? Perfect time. Just show up. ✨

RAD works here! A part of RADPass.

📅 Mondays - June 22 & June 29
📍 KST's Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
FREE (Donations welcome)

🔗 balafon.org/events

05/11/2026

How about a class or two???

Learn traditional African drumming with Balafon's community music classes at KST's Alloy Studios! ⁠
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Led by master musicians, percussion classes authentically access ‌the diverse sounds and polyrhythms of West Africa. Sessions will introduce a number of instruments from a range of rhythmic families– such as the djembe, doundouns, kutiro, and sabar drums, as well as the melodic balafon. All levels welcome.⁠
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Mondays, January – June, 2026⁠
6:15pm – 7:00pm⁠
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KST’s Alloy Studios | 5530 Penn Ave.⁠
Pay What Moves You: $5 – $15 (Drop-In) / $50 – $100 (Full Session)⁠
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Learn more and register for classes here: https://kelly-strayhorn.org/classes-workshops/ws26-balafon-music-class/
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Photo Credit: Daniel Abusuampeh⁠
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