Fort Greene · New York, New York
Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance
NYC anchor center for African and diaspora dance traditions. Monday-Saturday classes at 651 Arts (10 Lafayette Ave); Sunday classes at Mark Morris Dance Center (3 Lafayette Ave). West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian and contemporary diaspora styles for children and adults.
- Cultural & Folk
- Children's Dance
How Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance comes across
Cumbe comes across as a cultural home first and a class provider second, organized entirely around "dance and drumming from across the African Diaspora." Its mission champions "African and Diaspora culture as a vibrant legacy for people of African descent and as an exuberant source of power, spirit and knowledge for all," and the recurring invocation of "ashé" signals that the work is framed as spiritual and ancestral rather than merely technical. The specifics are unusually rich for a studio: named tradition-bearing instructors teaching Haitian Folkloric, West African, Congolese, Afro-Brazilian/Samba, Konpa and Dunham technique, plus a "donation-based" pricing model explicitly meant to keep the work "accessible to everyone, regardless of economic background." Founded by Jimena Martinez in 2009 and led artistically by the internationally toured Pat Hall, it reads as adult-oriented (with a children's "Dance, Drum & Imagination" summer camp for ages 3-9). The impression is of a values-driven, joy-forward institution where authenticity of tradition is the organizing principle.
An editor's impression, drawn from the school's own website and public materials, 13 June 2026. Not a review — if it misses the mark, the school or a parent can tell us via the form below.
About the school
Cumbe Center for African and Diaspora Dance is one of NYC's anchor centers for African and African-diaspora dance traditions, with classes spanning West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, and contemporary diaspora styles for adults and children. Monday-Saturday classes are held at 651 Arts at 10 Lafayette Avenue (the Brooklyn home of the longstanding 651 ARTS African-American presenting organisation), and Sunday classes at the Mark Morris Dance Center at 3 Lafayette Ave. The Center was previously based at 1368 Fulton Street.
At a glance
- Address
- 651 Arts, 10 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
- Suburb
- Fort Greene
- City
- New York
- State
- New York
- Age range
- 3+ years
- Disciplines
- West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, Haitian, African Diaspora
- Approach
- Recreational
- Price band
- Budget
What stands out
- i.Anchor NYC center for African and diaspora dance traditions
- ii.Resident at 651 Arts (Mon-Sat) and Mark Morris Dance Center (Sun)
- iii.West African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, contemporary diaspora
Teachers listed on the school's site
- Babacar M'baye — Intermediate Sabar
- Julio Jean — Haitian Folkloric Dance
- Vado Diomande — West African Dance / West African Drumming
- Tamara Jones — Afro-Fusion
- Penny Godboldo — IDTC Dunham Technique II
- Kira Divine — Afro Soca
- Quenia Ribeiro — Afro-Brazilian & Samba
- Robenson Mathurin — Rabòday Fit
- Andoche Loubaki — Congolese Dance
- Candice Michelle Franklin — Dunham-Informed Jazz
- Polo — Konpa Dance
- Jaida — Belly Dance
- Tenefig — West African Dance
- Liethis Hechavarria — Cuban Rumba (Special Workshop)
Sourced from the school's home page class listings (cumbedance.org). Teachers can request removal or correction via the listing-edit form below.
Also in Fort Greene
Brooklyn Music School
Ages 3+
Fort Greene music-and-dance institution founded 1909 as the Brooklyn Music School Settlement, in a four-story St Felix Street building with 24 classrooms, 3 dance studios and a 266-seat Spanish-style theatre next door to BAM. Partner Music + Dance Experience program with Mark Morris.
Mark Morris Dance Center
The Brooklyn home of the Mark Morris Dance Group, opened 2001 in Fort Greene with company rehearsal space and a school serving all ages.