AfricaNashville’s Yeli Ensemble
Public Classes & Performances (black text)
Private Classes & Performances (white text)
ONGOING EVENTS:
Weekly Classes:
• Dance : Coleman Park Community Center Dance Classes / Mondays July-late November 2025 / 6:45-8pm [w/ Ibro, Windship & guests] ($5)
Dance : Sevier Park Community Center Dance Classes / Wednesdays July-late November 2025 / 11:15-12:15pm [w/ Ibro, Windship & guests] ($5)
• Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Percussion classes w/ Ibro @ AfricaNashville Studios, small group classes (Min. $15-$20 for beginners, $20-$25 donation for advanced classes, contact for details). Percussions: Tuesdays 6:30-7:45 pm and Wednesdays 5:30-6:45pm.
SPECIAL EVENTS!!
DUNDUNBA at Centennial Park to celebrate Aicha’s birthday! September 18 from 4-6 pm. Contact us at africanashville@gmail.com for more details! Event is totally free, bring some small dollar bills to celebrate the artists when they play or dance well!
SUNDAY, September 21 2025 FREE community dance class with Aicha Camara and Ibro Dioubate at the Nashville Ballet School , 2pm . Visit Nashvilleballet.com for details.
SUNDAY, September 28 2025 SABAR dance with Aicha Camara Nashville School of the Arts, 3pm . $10 Drop in fee. All levels welcome!
FRIDAY, October O3 2025 INTERMEDIATE-ADVANCED LEVEL dance class with Aich Camara, Hadley Park Community Center, 5:15-6:45 pm, $10 drop in fee.
AICHA IS TEACHING ALL OF THE ABOVE COMMUNITY DANCE CLASSES WHILE SHE IS HERE AS WELL!
ALSO, CHECK OUT OUR WORKSHOP IN AFRICA THIS WINTER!
August 2025
August 1-3 2025 Rhythm Rising Festival
August 30 2025 AfroKokoroot Festival
September 2025
September 12 2025 Harris Hilman School Celebration
September 17 2025 International Celebration, Madison Community College, KY
September 18 2025 Welcome, Birthday Dundunba for Aicha Camara, contact us!!
September 20 2025 African Street Festival,, Hadley Park, Yeli Ensemble at 4pm
September 27 2025 Bowling Green International Festival, Bowling Green, KY 12:30 and 5:20pm
September 28 2025 Advanced dance with Aicha Camara Nashville School of the Arts, 3pm time TBC, $15 drop in fee
October 2025
October 3 2025 Advanced dance class with Aicha, 5:15-6:45 pm, Hadley Park, $15 drop in fee
October 4 2025 Celebrate Nashville at Centennial Park 11:15am - 12 noon
October 9 2025 Frist Museum opening for New African Masquerades exhibition opening
October 18 2025 Southern Festival of Books TBC
October 23 2025 ‘ Lights On’ Afterschool National Day celebrations
October 25 2025 William Edmundson Art and Cultural Festival
October 26 2025 Nashville Jazz Festival with Jeff Coffin at 3rd and Lindsley
October 30 2025 Ruby Major International Day performance
November 2025
TBC
December 2025
TBC
PAST EVENTS:
June 2025
June 2-6 Nashville Ballet Summer Camp
June 13 The Blue Room
Juneteenth NMAAM ( Nashville Museum of African American Music)
May 2025
May 2 Maplewood Cluster International Day
May 15-17 OzArt Brave New Works featuring the Yeli Ensemble
April 2025
April 11 University of Evansville presentation
April 16 Maison KY Community College
April 17 Elizabethtown KY Community College
April 18-19 Dance & Drum Workshop with Ibrahima Dioubate, Micheal Moloi and guest artist Fode Sylla.
April 21 Harpeth Hall International Festival
April 23 Belmont performance TBC
March 2025
March 7 BHM at Cole Elementary
Creative Aging for adults at Hadley Community Center
Weekly training for intermediate-advanced dancers begins March 22 until April 12 frm 10:30-12, $32 for 4 sessions at Hadley Park Community Center. Conact us at africanashville@gmail.com for more information!
February 2025
February 5, -Dee’s Country Lounge, Madison, with Biko Casini
February 7 - Black History Month (BHM) at Gower Elementary & Creswell Middle Schools, Blairs Big Band featuring Jeff Coffin’s Yeli Gucchi at Ingram Hall, Vanderbilt University
February 19- BHM at University School of Nashville ( date TBC)
February 20 - BHM at Cane Ridge High School and Looby Theatre
February 21 - BHM at Harris Hillman Special Ed
February 22- BHM celebration at Edgehill Methodist Church
February 23- BHM at St Andrews Church
February 26 - BHM in Bowling Green Schools, Nashville School of the Arts and Educare
February 27- BHM at Tennesse State University and Apollo Middle School
February 28 - BHM at Mt View Elementary and AZ Kelley Elementary
October 2024
October 2-5 Earthfolk Drum & Dance Clinic in Summertown, TN ( at The Farm), https://www.facebook.com/earthfolkpresents/
October 5 - Celebrate Nashville Festival, Centennial Park. Yeli Ensemble performs at 3:30pm. https://celebratenashville.org/asurion-stage/
October 12 - Country Music Hall of Fame, Songwriting 101, featuring African Kora with the Yeli Ensemble 1-2pm.
https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/calendar/family-program-songwriting-101-featuring-africanashville?date=10/12/2024&time=1725541200%7C1725544800October 17 - MTSU Culturefest at 4:00PM
October 24 - Ruby Major Elementary School International Evening, 5pm, Hermitage, TN
October 24 - N.I.C.E (Nashville International Center for Empowerment) Fundraiser, Rocketown
601 4th Ave S. https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerNashville/October 26 - William Edmundson Festival, Yeli Ensemble at11am, https://edmondsonhome.org/wefest
October 27- Southern Festival of Books, Yeli Ensemble from 2:15-3pm. https://www.sofestofbooks.org/ Tennessee State Library and Archives Building, 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N,
September 2024
September 6 - Release date Ibrahima's album Lamania
September 9- 12- University Tour #1, University of Georgia in Athens ( UGA) and other colleges
September 16- Vanderbilt CURB Center Event , 5pm
September 20- Nashville Ballet Academy Masterclass
September 21- Country Music Hall of Fame - Exploring West African Strings, featuring the Yeli Ensemble, 10:30 am-noon. https://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/calendar/family-program-explore-west-african-string-instruments?date=09/21/2024&time=1725445800%7C1725451200
Saturday September 21- National Day of Dance at the Nashville Ballet, Free class, 2-3pm. For more information: https://www.nashvilleballet.com/upcoming-events/2024/9/21/national-dance-day
Sunday, September 22- Nashville Ballet FREE Community Class, 2-3pm. Sign up here : ,https://www.nashvilleballet.com/upcoming-events/2024/9/22/free-community-class-with-africanashvilles-yeli-ensemble
September 24 - Presentation/ Lecture Demonstration at Harding Academy
September 25-27 - University Tour #2, University of Alabama Huntsville (UAH)
September 28- Bowling Green International Festival, afternoon presentation 1:40- 2:40 pm and 5-6pm. https://www.bginternationalfest.com/performances/
September 29- The Village Church, two workshops in dance and drum by the Yeli Ensemble. Sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/LM8vsjWXTTHv96Er/?mibextid=oFDknk
AUGUST 2024
August 9-11, Rhythm Rising Festival, Tarrapin Hill, Harrodsburg KY
August 11- Jeff Coffin’s new album release with the Yeli Ensemble at 3rd and Lindsley, 7pm. Buy tickets here: https://www.jeffcoffin.com/tour
August 14- Yeli Ensemble @ Nashville Musicians Union / 7-9 pm/ Donations at the door.
August 17- Cheekwood’s Black Arts Bash, 12pm, Nashville.
August 20- Elizabeth Senior Center and SE Community Center Senior Programs, Lecture Demonstrations.
August 22 -The Blue Room, Sofia Goodman Group, featuring the Yeli Ensemble, Nashville https://theblueroombar.com/
August 30 East Park Seniors Lecture Demonstration.
JULY 2024
July 13 - Plaza Mariachi, Yeli Ensemble, 6-7pm https://plazamariachi.com/event/the-yeli-ensemble/
July 19- Freedom School presentation after 5 weeks of training scholars in North Nashville and Edgehill
July 20- Folkmoot Festival, Waynesville, NC
July 21- Dance/ Drum workshops 11am-2pm, LEAF Cultural Center, Asheville, NC
July 21 - Yeli Ensemble in concert, Ayuprana Listening Room, Asheville, NC ( Produced by Reciprocity Music)
July 22 - Yeli Ensemble in concert at Madala Springs, NC
