Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F014155-06, Bonn, Afrikawoche, Nationalballett Guinea

Les Ballets Africains is the national

dance company A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

and is based in

Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

. It is one of the first African national dance companies. It has toured extensively around the world. Although the French name might suggest the idea of European

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

to English speakers, the focus of the company is actually on promoting traditional African dance and culture.

History

The roots of ''Les Ballets Africains'' go back to Guinean poetry student, dancer, choreographer, and musician

Fodéba Keïta Fodéba Keïta (January 19, 1921 in Siguiri – May 27, 1969 at Camp Boiro) was a Guinean dancer, musician, writer, playwright, composer and politician. Founder of the first professional African theatrical troupe, Theatre Africain, he also arrange ...

. In France, in 1948, he founded a poetry group for Africans, which gradually evolved into the drumming, dancing, and storytelling African Theater Ballet of Fodeba Keita. The company toured Europe from 1951 to 1955 and the United States in 1953. It became Les Ballets Africains in 1952 in Paris. Some initial strong opposition came from various tribes, who were offended that others were dancing their dances and singing their songs, but that objection was eventually overcome. In the 1950s, among the notable musicians recruited were

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

drummers "Papa" Ladji Camara of

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

and Guinean

Famoudou Konaté Famoudou Konaté is a Malinké master drummer from Guinea. Famoudou Konaté is a virtuoso of the djembe drum and its orchestra. One of only a handful of initiated masters of the Malinké drumming tradition, Famoudou is universally respected as o ...

. In 1958, after

obtained its independence from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, then

President of Guinea This article lists the presidents of Guinea, since the country gained independence from France in 1958 (after rejecting to join the French Community in a constitutional referendum). List Key ;''Political parties'' * * * ;''Other factions'' * ...

Ahmed Sékou Touré Ahmed Sékou Touré (var. Sheku Turay or Ture; N'Ko: ; January 9, 1922 – March 26, 1984) was a Guinean political leader and African statesman who became the first president of Guinea, serving from 1958 until his death in 1984. Touré was am ...

made the ballet the national ensemble. Regional and nationals orchestras from

Syliphone Syliphone was a Guinean record label which ran from 1967 until 1984. The label was based in Conakry, Guinea. Created and funded by the Guinean government, Syliphone was the first African record label to attain funding from the state within the p ...

supported Les Ballets Africains on tours. In 1959, the company performed in the United States, with a run of 48 performances on Broadway, following a successful European tour. They appeared at the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially classical music) and the performing arts are i ...

in 1964. In 1967, while touring in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the troupe's director had to go to court in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

to answer the charge of inciting minors to give an indecent performance, since both men and women performers, regardless of age, were dancing

topless Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is barechestedness, also commonly called shirtlessness. Expose ...

, as was traditional. The judge dismissed the charge. When President Sékou Touré died in 1984, government support came to an end, and the troupe encountered financial difficulties for several years, but has subsequently resumed touring. In 1991, Italo Zambo, the company's artistic director, noted that the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

day performances differed from the night ones and performances in Africa and Europe in one respect: traditionally, Guinean men and women dance bare-chested.

Notable past members

* Kemoko Sano * Moustapha Bangoura * Mouminatou Camara * Aly Diabate * Abou Sylla (N'Camara Abou Sylla) * Arafan Toure

References

External links

*
''New York Times'' review
by

Jennifer Dunning Jennifer Dunning (born February 4, 1942) is a writer and critic for ''The New York Times'' on the subjects of dance and ballet. She is the author of the 1985 ''But First a School: The First Fifty Years of the School of American Ballet'', the 1996 ...

, 20 March 2006
''New York Daily News'' review
by Mary Talbot, 12 April 1996 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballets Africains, Les Folk dance companies Guinean culture Performing groups established in 1952 1952 establishments in French West Africa

History

Notable past members

See also

References

External links