📚 What to Expect

The course is divided into three chapters, each one building toward greater rhythm fluency, ensemble confidence, and personal expression.

🌀 Chapter 1: Rudiments, Djembe Accompaniments & the Basic Break — Building the Groove

We begin by strengthening your hands, ears, and body awareness through focused rudiments. These daily tone and slap exercises build sound clarity, control, and rhythmic precision.

From there, you’ll learn the 3 djembe accompaniments that form the rhythmic backbone of Djansa. Each part teaches how to support the groove with balance and feel — essential for ensemble cohesion.

You’ll also learn the basic break — a 4-beat cue phrase used to:

• Start and end rhythms

• Signal dancer transitions

• Cue ensemble shifts or accents in class and performance

Wellness Focus: Grounding, breath-aligned timing, rhythmic awareness

🎨 Chapter 2: Accompaniment Solo & Phrase-Based Solo — Finding Your Voice

This chapter invites you into rhythmic self-expression within structured form.

You’ll learn:

• 6 accompaniment solos — short, 2-beat variations based on Accompaniment #1

• 5 solo phrases — longer, 8-beat statements that add texture, articulation, and intention

These solo forms help you evolve from repetition to storytelling — from holding rhythm to shaping it.

Wellness Focus: Confidence, creativity, emotional clarity through rhythm

🤝 Chapter 3: Unison Break & Dun Dun Accompaniments — Moving as One

Now we turn to ensemble coordination and the deeper pulse of the rhythm.

You’ll learn the unison break (ensemble break) — a bold, shared phrase used to:

• Launch the rhythm (intro)

• Conclude it (outro)

• Cue dynamic shifts mid-flow (audible form)

You’ll also study 3 dun dun accompaniments:

• Traditional style — laid on their sides, played with stick and bell

Wellness Focus: Synchronization, group timing, energy awareness

🏛️ Cultural and Historical Roots

Djansa originates in Kita, a cultural and spiritual hub in the Kayes region of Mali. This region is known not only for its musical heritage but also as an important stop along the Dakar–Niger railway and a site of religious pilgrimage, trade, and agricultural activity. The rhythm evolved in a place where community, ceremony, and daily life were—and still are—deeply intertwined with music.

🎉 The Spirit of Celebration

The term Dansa (or Djansa) is connected to the Jansali, a celebratory moment where individuals present gifts—or even criticisms—to the hosting family during festive gatherings. It’s a rhythm of revelation and expression, designed to uplift the community and encourage heartfelt sharing.

In everyday speech, the phrase “There is a Jansali in this family” means that a celebration is taking place. That spirit of joy and connection permeates the way Djansa is played today—open-hearted, energetic, and full of life.

🎼 Musical Structure

• Binary Timing: Djansa is built in a 4/4 structure, where each beat is subdivided into four sixteenth notes.

• Swing Feel: Relaxed, danceable groove that feels both grounded and fluid.

While the djembe often takes the lead in modern performance, Djansa’s solo voice was traditionally played on the Djeli Dundun, a smaller, goat-skinned bass drum worn with a strap and paired with a bell. It offers a melodic, percussive counterpoint to the main groove and is still used in certain traditional ensembles today.

👥 Who This Course Is For

This course is for students who:

• Have completed a Level 1 beginner or equivalent experience

• Are confident with basic djembe and dunun techniques

• Are ready to move into structured soloing and complex ensemble playing

• Are curious to learn more about rhythm as a cultural language, creative outlet, and meditative practice