You are invited to learn!
MASX 2026 invites you to immerse yourself in a vibrant cultural exchange, where rhythm is life, and life is rhythm. This week-long journey offers 12.5 hours of dance workshops, taster classes, drumming, singing, and unforgettable cultural experiences.
Workshops
Afro House (60 min)
Teachers |Osvaldo Passirivo
Day | Monday
Time | 18:00 – 19h00
Afro House is a vibrant and rhythm-driven subgenre of house music that blends deep house grooves with traditional African musical elements, such as tribal drums, vocal chants, and native instruments. It’s a global sound, but it draws heavily from African cultural roots, both musically and spiritually.
Introduction to African and Mozambican Rhythms and Movements (1h30min)
Teachers | Eugénio Macuvel and Vitoria Vick
Day | Tuesday
Time |15:30 – 17:00
To warm up your body to these new rhythms this class will focus on connecting to the drums, ground yourself to the earth and shake lose all the tensions in your body to prepare yourself for a week full of dancing.
Afro swing (1:30)
Teachers | Judith Novela
Day | Tuesday
Time | 17:30 – 19:00
We will take you on a journey researching Afro Swing – the African roots of Authentic Jazz! With rhythm as our guide, we will better understand the African heritage of these “rhythm dances” we call within the swing genres and their shared traditions of expression. African American social dances have, first and foremost, been an expression of emotion or social allegory rather than something created for the stage. Using the feeling in our body from the previous class we will explore how we can not only see the visual African roots in Swing but also the rhythmical, emotional and spiritual traditions Swing has inherited from Africa.
Traditional Mozambican Dance (1,5h)
Teachers |
Day | Wednesday
Time | 09:30 – 11:00
Ngalanga is a powerful and expressive traditional dance from southern Mozambique, particularly associated with the Chopi people from Zavala, Inhambane province. Historically, it served as a celebration of warriors’ victories and a means of reinforcing social unity and loyalty to tribal leadership.
Singing (50min)
Teachers | Smile Trio
Day | Wednesday
Time | 11: 15 – 12:15
Xigubo is a traditional Mozambican dance that originated in the southern regions, particularly in the provinces of Maputo and Gaza. Historically, it served as a form of military training and a celebration of victories, symbolizing strength, unity, and resistance.
Percussion (30min)
Teachers | Moiseis Buduia and Jose Carlos
Day | Wednesday
Time | 20:30 -21:15
African drumming is one of the most vibrant and essential musical traditions on the continent. It’s far more than music—it’s a language, a spiritual expression, and a social tool used for communication, celebration, healing, and storytelling across generations and tribes.
Lindy Hop (60min)
Teachers | Alexandre Soquisso and Ironia Guilengue
Day | Thursday
Time | 9:30 – 10:30
Lindy Hop is an energetic, joyful, and improvisational partner dance that originated in Harlem, New York City, during the late 1920s and 1930s, at the height of the Swing Era. It evolved alongside swing jazz music, particularly in iconic venues like the Savoy Ballroom, and is considered the grandparent of many swing dances—including East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, and Jive.
KASSAWE (60min)
Teachers | Agnes and Nilegio
Day | Thursday
Time | 10:45 – 11:45
When a celebration or party is taking place, the most common way to dance in Mozambique is to start a circle dance that normally comes with specific rhythm and a set of steps or dance moves. Even though there are specific moves to each rhythm there is also space for individual expression and improvisation just like in jazz dances from the Swing era. The dances can be danced in a circle on the square or around the fire at night.
Teachers | Alexandre Soquisso
Day | Thursday
Time |12h – 12:20
After Long workshop, it’s important to have some time to stretch a little bit.
Taster Classes
Kadoda (30min)
Teachers | Bobby Bakhar
Day | Thursday
Time 16h – 16:30
Kadoda Dance: A Vibrant Cultural |Expression from Niassa
The Kadoda dance is a dynamic cultural expression originating from the Niassa province in northern Mozambique. Characterized by rapid and energetic movements, it emphasizes waist flexibility and a contagious rhythm. Primarily performed by the youth, Kadoda has become a symbol of local identity and pride.
Amapiano (30min)
Teachers | Antonio Macuvel
Day | Thursday
Time | 16:30 – 17h
Kwassa kwassa (30min)
Teacher | Victoria Vick
Day | Thursday
Time | 17h – 17:30
Kwassa Kwassa is a vibrant and infectious dance rhythm and musical style that originated in Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the 1980s. It emerged as a form of popular music rooted in Congolese soukous, blending rhythmic guitar patterns, lively percussion, and catchy melodies with a distinctive dance style that became a cultural sensation across Africa and beyond.