DJEMBE DIYAMU
Founded 2016
Djembe Diyamu is WDC’s co-ed group.
DD at the 2026 annual concert.
The group performs traditional West African music, paying careful attention to the cultural context and history of the songs. Djembe Diyamu educates and enriches any event with their high-energy performances.
Ensemble Leader: Dan Engebretson
Rehearsals: Sundays, 11:45am - 1:45pm
Cost: $20 per rehearsal
Prerequisite: Djembe Diyamu is an advanced drumming ensemble. Drumming experience is required. Taking a couple of the West African Level 1 classes will satisfy this prerequisite.
Dan Engebretson
Dan Engebretson has been an active member of the Twin Cities hand drumming scene for the past 20 years. His passion is studying and playing traditional West African djembe and djundjun rhythms, and for over 15 years he has taken lessons and workshops with such notables as Guinean drummers Mamady Keita, Famoudou Konate', Fode' Bangoura, Sekou Conde, Abdoul Doumbia from Mali, and many other drummers from Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. He is a member of Mamady Keita's Tam Tam Mandingue Djembe Academy, a detailed and comprehensive curriculum designed to train teachers on the knowledge of Malinke rhythms. He also studies traditional "village-style" drumming from the teachings of Malian drum master Sega Sidibe'. Additionally, Dan has studied with various U.S. drummers including Michael Markus, Paulo Mattioli, and locals Kenne Thomas and Brian Van Tassel.
Aside from his love of music, Dan also studies all aspects of traditional West African culture and enjoys books, wine, and travel.
DD after a fund-raiser event in 2025.