(347) 240-0222 info@aywellfit.studio

Get fit and dance into the summer!

Join us for a transformative journey that blends fitness and global dance classes with holistic wellness, fostering a healthier lifestyle and community.

Specializing in West African Dance (Guinea & Ghana) and Soca-Fit (Trinidad & Tobago)
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AY Well Fit is a Classpass Wellness partner

New Summer Calendar starts Sunday, June 1!

Dynamic Dance Classes

Experience the energy of West African dance, Afrobeat, Hip Hop in a supportive and vibrant environment.

Holistic Wellness

Embrace a holistic approach to wellness with our somatic movement and fitness training sessions.

GET YOUR SWEAT ON

If you are seeking a high-intensity fitness challenge, check out Core Aerobics.

SUMMER SCHEDULE 2025

Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sun
6:30 pm Soca-Fit Open Level African Dance Class Ghanaian Dance Afrobeat FIT 3PM
Djembe Dance
7:30 pm Majorette Mondays Somatic Movement Congolese Dance Core Aerobics
Class

 

 The premier global dance/fitness studio in Brooklyn, NY

Our Services

Dance Classes

Immerse yourself in the vibrant rhythms of West African dance, Afrobeat, Soca, and urban line dancing (coming soon). Our classes are designed to be fun, energetic, and inclusive.

Fitness Training

Challenge yourself with our high-intensity fitness classes, including Core Aerobics and Somatic Movement designed to improve strength, endurance, and cardiovascular health.

OUR Classes

Join us for 9 exciting classes from Sunday to Friday at various times. Each class is just $20 and lasts an hour. We also offer memberships, group classes, and special package deals. Check out the details below for class descriptions. 

Click on the images of each instructor to learn more about them!

DJEMBE WEST AFRICAN DANCE CLASS

Join master artists M’Bemba and Nballou Bangoura, a dynamic father-daughter duo, for an energizing Guinean Djembe dance class! Rooted in West African tradition, this class blends live drumming with powerful movement, celebrating community, culture, and rhythm from Guinea, Mali, and the Ivory Coast, all with a fitness twist. Discover traditional dances and experience the rich cultural heritage of Guinea through generations of artistry and connection. All levels are welcome!

Mbemba Bangoura

Mbemba Bangoura

Instructor

Nballou Bangoura

Nballou Bangoura

Instructor

Soca-FIT

If you’re searching for a fitness class that feels like a dance party, Soca-Fit is the one! Inspired by the Caribbean’s most popular music genre, Soca (originated in Trinidad and Tobago), prepare for infectious beats, continuous cardio, and strength movements that will surely leave you feeling drenched in sweat.

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

Instructor

Afrobeat-FIT

Afrobeat-FIT is a dynamic full-body workout that combines traditional and contemporary, globally popular Afrobeat music with exercises tailored to boost your cardio and make you feel empowered and vibrant.

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

Instructor

SOMATIC MOVEMENT

Invest your sacred time in whole-body expansion and more focused hip and lower back opening, strengthening, and lengthening. Breathwork will be paired with dynamic movement and longer restorative holds to engage with and move through stored trauma and tension in these heavy-holding areas. Accompanied by a beautifully supportive soundtrack, you’ll RELEASE built-up muscle tension and experience deep relaxation. REGAIN emotional balance that will spur relief from stress and anxiety, while simultaneously CULTIVATING a stronger mind-body connection for your overall well-being.

TAMARA THOMAS

TAMARA THOMAS

Instructor

Core Aerobics

Core Aerobics is a dynamic, high-energy workout designed to strengthen and sculpt your core. This class focuses on activating your abdominal muscles, obliques, lower back, and midsection through aerobic movement and targeted core exercises. By consistently engaging these muscle groups, you will build a stronger, more defined core and improve your posture, stability, and overall balance. Whether you want to tone your midsection or enhance your athletic performance, Core Aerobics offers a fun and effective way to achieve your goals.

DINA WRIGHT JOSEPH

DINA WRIGHT JOSEPH

Instructor

GHANAIAN DANCE CLASS

Immerse yourself in the heart of Ghanaian culture through its traditional dances! Dance holds a profound place in Ghana’s cultural West African identity. In this class, you’ll explore the rich diversity of Ghana’s ethnic groups by learning some of the country’s most iconic traditional dances. Each dance conveys unique rhythms and movements that tell stories and express cultural heritage. Join us on this journey to celebrate Ghanaian traditions, understand the spirit of its people, and experience the essence of Ghana’s vibrant dance heritage.

FOFOO ATTISO

FOFOO ATTISO

Instructor

MAJORETTE MONDAY’S

Created and led by Ajale’ Olaséni, Majorette Mondays is a high-energy dance class celebrating the rich traditions of HBCU-style majorette performance techniques. It’s perfect for dancers who want to embrace the power, precision, and flair of HBCU majorette style. Dancers will learn majorette fundamentals, including precision kicks, sharp arm movements, and traditional marching techniques, synchronized to a musical blend of hip-hop, R&B, and iconic marching band tracks. The genre’s upbeat and fun choreography helps build rhythm, coordination, flexibility, confidence, stage presence, and teamwork in an empowering environment. Majorette Mondays offers an authentic and inspiring experience for dancers of all levels.

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

AJALE’ OLASÉNI

Instructor

CONGOLESE DANCE

Through breathing, yoga visualization, meditation, and healing vibrations from pelvic rotations, dancers will delve deep into their core to manifest their desires in life. Join this profoundly spiritual experience as we journey within and manifest using Congolese African dance as the medium. The ancient dance of the Congolese, combined with the brilliant creations of their descendants, has shaped the Indigenous music and dance styles of Africa and the Diaspora, including Afrobeat, Samba, Salsa, Hip Hop, Reggae, Calypso, and Soca, to name a few. 

FUNMILAYO CHESNEY

FUNMILAYO CHESNEY

Instructor

BEGINNER'S AFRICAN DANCE STYLES CLASS

It’s never too late to learn something new, and this engaging and accessible class for beginners comprehensively introduces the fundamental movements, captivating rhythms, and rich cultural traditions of several prominent West African dance styles. Imagine learning the foundational steps and traditional sequences and discovering the infectious joy and musicality of moving in harmony with live Djembe drumming. Our experienced instructor will guide you through each step with encouraging support and patience. All you need is enthusiasm, a willingness to learn, and comfortable clothing for movement.

ZAKIYA HARRIS

ZAKIYA HARRIS

Instructor

AY Well+Fit classes are powered by the MindBody mobile app and/or MindBody website. To reserve a spot in one of our classes or make an appointment,  you must create a profile first. 

Once you have created an account and logged in, you can search within MindBody app for AY Well+Fit to find our schedule and book or book through the calendar page on this website.

Download the MindBody App to book classes at AY Well+Fit

From our founders

Our mission is to provide adults of all ages and genders with a transformative journey that fuses dance, fitness, and holistic-driven wellness classes that will help them reach peak physical condition. And in an intimate and welcoming community-spirited environment that is familial and fun.

Founders Kofi Osei Williams and Ruby Inez Williams

K. Osei Williams and Ruby Inez Williams

Founders, AY Well+Fit Studio

About AY Well+Fit STUDIO

AY WELL+FIT

We incubated our AY WELL+FIT Studio concept over the past five years. It effectively combines our expertise in dance with proven wellness and fitness techniques taught by trained and highly skilled instructors. In addition to our three specialty classes—West African Dance, R&B Line Dancing, and Soca-Fit—we offer several other dance classes and unique fitness disciplines.

Over the past 24 years, we have championed global Indigenous African and African American dance styles through our Brooklyn-based nonprofit, Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, one of the city’s most revered performing arts organizations. We teach youth aged 3 to 18 through our School of the Arts; our award-winning Asase Yaa African American Theater professional dance and drum ensemble performs internationally, and our Asase Yaa Theater Company has presented performances locally.

Learn more about the origins of AY Well+Fit Studio

The origins and inspiration for WELL+FIT began about five years ago under the umbrella of Brooklyn-based nonprofit Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation, which is celebrating its 23rd year as one of the city’s most revered African performing arts organizations that services youth 3-18, has an award-winning professional Asase Yaa African American Theater dance/drum ensemble, and the Asase Yaa Theater Company, both which comprise adults.

Asase Yaa’s Executive Director Kofi Osei Williams was initially inspired to create a fitness and wellness space for the parents of youth that were attending their School of the Arts to enjoy. That early iteration featured six classes, but low attendance exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to move locations derailed the concept temporarily. Once Asase Yaa landed a new permanent location, Williams immediately rejuvenated and expanded the concept to a full service wellness and fitness studio.

OUR SPACE

AY WELL+FIT STUDIO is in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, NY, approximately a 9-minute walk from the Kingston-Throop Avenues subway station. Our 3500 sq. ft. studio is airy and filled with natural light from the windows. It features wood-sprung floors, air conditioning, and restrooms directly across from the studio.

We designed our classes to be affordable, helping to prevent heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity in our community and aiming to generate measurable improvements in cardio, strength, and endurance. Each class comfortably accommodates 20 people, allowing us to maintain an intimate and focused environment. If you prefer not to carry a floor mat, we provide mats for $5.

We want to help motivate adults of all ages and genders to reach peak physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being in a welcoming, familial, and supportive environment that embraces building a healthier lifestyle community. Photo by April Laugh

Meet Our Expert Instructors

Fofoo Attiso

Fofoo Attiso

Ghanaian Dance Instructor

Fofoo is an accomplished dance teacher and former professional international dancer who toured Germany, Israel, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Scotland. He has danced with eight leading dance ensembles in Ghana. His passion for traditional African dance led him to study dance pedagogy and choreography at Aikins Hyde Dance School in Ghana. Fofoo has been a senior associate lecturer in the Performing Arts Department at the University of Legon. As a dance teacher, he guided a dance troupe of young Ghanaian students to victory in a nationwide dance competition chronicled in the documentary Amazing Child, televised on Ghana Public Television in 2012.

MBEMBA BANGOURA

MBEMBA BANGOURA

Djembe Dance Instructor

Born in Guinea, West Africa, Mbemba Bangoura is a respected master teacher and performer. He has taught and toured globally, recorded three albums, and appeared on numerous instructional DVDs and guest projects. After settling in New York in the early ’90s, he co-founded the Fareta School of Drum and Dance and Les Ballet Bagata. He began drumming at a young age, learning the traditional music and dance of his village. By age 14, he was invited to join the Ballet of Conakry, later rising to lead drummer for the renowned Ballet Djoliba, where he collaborated with Mamady Keita. Over the past 50 years, Mbemba has dedicated his life and career to preserving and sharing West African traditions with passion and precision.

NBALLOU BANGOURA

NBALLOU BANGOURA

Djembe Dance Leader

Nballou Bangoura hails from Queens, New York, and is the founder of the “Dance for Zan” Foundation, which she created to honor the legacy of her late mother, Alexandria “Zan” Meyers, who diligently worked in her community, instilling the principles of excellence, passion, and precision of West African Dance and Drum. Under the tutelage of her father, M’bemba Bangoura, she began teaching traditional West African dance professionally at age 17. She later continued cultivating her craft and expanding her knowledge in West African dance techniques, traveling to Bermuda, Ghana, and Guinea. She has choreographed for several of New York’s most prestigious dance companies and schools, including The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, Wula Dance and Drum, and Brooklyn High School of the Arts. Her work has also been featured in the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s annual Dance Africa Festival, among others.

Funmilayo Chesney

Funmilayo Chesney

Congolese Dance Instructor

Funmilayo has taught Congolese dance for nearly 20 years in New York City and is the director of F.U.S.H.A. Dance Company, which she founded in 1995. She currently teaches ethnic dance to students from pre-K through 12th grade. Born in Brazil and raised in Guyana, Funmilayo has studied ballet, modern, tap, Sabar, Guinean, Haitian, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, Dahome, and Dunham dance. She was a member of the only traditional Congolese dance company in New York City, Malaki MA Congo, and traveled extensively to Nigeria, Ghana, and Congo. She won the Ethnic Dance Award for Best African Dance Instructor, and her F.U.S.H.A. Dance Company has performed at Harvard University and Alvin Ailey, as well as internationally in Jamaica, Sweden, and Italy. Funmilayo credits the ancient Congolese people with shaping many music and dance styles in the diaspora, including samba, salsa, hip hop, reggae, calypso, and cassava.

Zakiya Harris

Zakiya Harris

Beginner's African Dance Instructor

Zakiya is a seasoned veteran in the dance field, boasting 17 years of experience as a dance educator in the NYC Department of Education. She is the co-founder and artistic director of the Asase Yaa School of the Arts, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit cultural and performing arts institution. Zakiya has studied various dance styles, including West African, jazz, modern, ballet, tap, and hip hop, which she has taught to thousands of students and performed on some of the world’s most renowned stages. Her journey in dance began at age 3 in Queens, NY. She later earned a BA in Psychology from Hampton University, a master’s degree in dance education from New York University, and an MFA in Dance from Hunter College.

Dina Wright Joseph

Dina Wright Joseph

Core Aerobics Trainer

Dina is an artist-in-residence and “Artivist” with the African American Policy Forum and dances with Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater. She has toured internationally as a former principal dancer with Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company, and her performances were featured in the PBS documentary, Free to Dance, and archived in the Smithsonian Museum’s centennial installation entitled Black Dance in the 20th Century. With a passion for creating art that elevates activism, she sits on the Professional Performing Arts School faculty and the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in partnership with Joan Weill Alvin Ailey Dance Center. Dina has been a trained dancer since the age of eight, and she has recently added bodybuilding to her resume, competing in her third Master’s Wellness competition season and winning first place in her class for her TTUBU O MANU Bodybuilding Team in Atlanta.

Ajale’ Olaséni

Ajale’ Olaséni

Majorette Dance Leader

Brooklyn native Ajale’ Olaséni, creator and founder of Majorette Mondays, has been dancing since the age of three with her family’s African dance ensemble, Black Genius On The Rise. In addition to presenting her concept of celebrating and preserving the HBCU marching band dance legacy and empowering dancers to understand its historical and cultural impact at WELL+FIT, she teaches and mentors youth. Her earliest exposure to HBCU-style band culture came through the Brooklyn Steppers Marching Band. Her distinguished career has been marked by featured performances at President Obama’s first inauguration, among many other notable events. She is an alumna of Howard University, the NSAA African Dance Ensemble, and the Step Team.

Tamara Thomas

Tamara Thomas

Somatic Movement Specialist

Tamara Thomas is a highly skilled Health and Nutrition Life Coach and Spiritual Doula. As a loving mother and birth worker, she has answered the call to support the birthing of babies and helped people give birth to themselves and the divine ideas that the creator has planted in them. She is also a veteran performing artist, choreographer, peaceful warrior, educator, healing guide, and life transformation facilitator.

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Phone

(347) 240-0222

AY Well+Fit Studio