# Event Details

- **Event Name**: From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula
- **Event Start and End Date**: Mon, 02 Feb, 2026 at 12:00 pm
- **Event Description**: The Seben, a music section, practice and technique emerged as part of the Rumba. Rumba is historically considered a secular genre. It has usually been associated with ‘vulgar’ dancing particularly during the ‘seben’ section. When then did the seben make its way into Christian gatherings?  How and why has it been integrated in ‘praise and worship’ musicking in contemporary and diasporic African Christian spaces?  

In dialogue around these questions, Jean Kidula will explore the ‘sanctification’ of the Seben in order to :

- affirm, trouble, and/or transform modern Western categories of African artistic expressions in necessary/surplus labor time and in disposable time.

- posit and interrogate (re)new(ed) artistic practices and interpretations of Christianity in contemporary Africa.

Jean Ngoya Kidula, Professor of Music (Ethnomusicology), holds a Ph.D. from the University of California (1998), an M.M. from East Carolina University, and a B.Ed. (Music/French) from the University of Nairobi. She joined the University of Georgia in 1998 after having taught at Kenyatta University and Pomona College. She teaches African Music, African-American Music, Survey of Music Cultures of the World, Topics in World Music Cultures, History, theory and methods in ethnomusicology, Seminars in Ethnomusicology. She also directs an African Music Ensemble.  Her research and publications are in African musicology, indigenous, contemporary and popular music in Africa, gospel music in Africa and Sweden, African-American religious music, and composition in Africa and the Diaspora. She also is active in the performance of religious music, African choral music, and the Medieval and Renaissance vocal repertory.

Granoff Music Center Colloquium
Free; no tickets required
Varis Lecture Hall, Granoff Music Center
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/medford/from-dance-club-to-church-altar-sanctifying-the-seben-jean-kidula/200029599289354
- **Event Categories**: art, workshops, nonprofit
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 2

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Medford
- **state**: MA
- **country**: United States
- **location**: 20 Talbot Ave. , Medford, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02155
- **lat**: 42.40444
- **long**: -71.11833
- **full address**: 20 Talbot Ave. , Medford, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02155

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/b7ae77e13f9e39de1954442c6771609d643e9c469a474b2f53a1e4387019e982-rimg-w1200-h628-dc040307-gmir?v=1769789693

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula being held?
  - **A:** From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula takes place on Mon, 02 Feb, 2026 at 12:00 pm to Mon, 02 Feb, 2026 at 12:00 pm at 20 Talbot Ave. , Medford, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02155.
- **Q**: Who is organizing From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula?
  - **A:** From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula is organized by Tufts Music .
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula is ideal for learners, working professionals, and skill-builders looking to gain hands-on knowledge and practical expertise in a focused, interactive setting. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Medford, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If From Dance Club to Church Altar: Sanctifying the Seben - Jean Kidula sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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