A Philadelphia company goes to Guinea: bringing African tradition back to the U.S.

As the Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble learned the African ballet Mali Saido, often their eyes swept over the clear beaches and dusty streets of Conakry, Guinea--a big change from their rehearsal studio in Philadelphia.

The sights and sounds of West Africa would seep into the dancers' and drummers' bodies during their two-week residency. The company, whose repertory includes work from Africa and the Caribbean, will bring a new slice of African dance to Philadelphia when they premiere Mali Saido on May 8. Mali Saido is a ballet made up of traditional dances, restaged for Kulu Mele by Les Ballets Africains dancer and choreographer Yamoussa Soumah. Artistic director Dorothy Wilkie says she chose the ballet because it gave the company a chance to integrate all the elements of African ballet: song, dance, and drama.

As an ensemble, Kulu Mele has worked with native African artists before, including Guinean master percussionist M'Bemba Bangoura, who organized the December residency. But for most of the dancers, the trip marked their first time in Africa.

Dancer Tamara Thomas says that being there helped put the ballet in context. "We could have done it in Philly, but then it wouldn't have the same essence as learning it directly here in the heat," says Thomas. "To understand the story of Mali Saido is to understand walking down the street, making our way through busy traffic--the people of Guinea."

Mali Saido unfolds in a Guinean village deep in drought. A young woman in the village befriends sacred hippopotamus Mali, who restores the rain. But the woman's husband becomes jealous of his wife's affection for the animal and shoots him.

Three traditional dances anchor the story: the Madjani, the Sofa, and the Ghumbe. The first two, from the Malinke ethnic group, are known in the U.S., but the Ghumbe, a dance of the Mande ethnic group, is rarely seen. Kulu Mele learned the Ghumbe's steps and rhythms from choreographers Yamoussa Soumah and Mariama Toure, both from Guinea's national ballet company, Les Ballets Africains. Soumah's village is the Ghumbe's original home.

The company was surrounded by dance in Conakry. Drummers greeted them at the airport, leading to an impromptu dance-off in the airport parking lot. At two dundunbas, community dances of strength, company members joined entire neighborhoods in the street, forging bonds through dancing and drumming.

Bangoura says that experiencing African community made the residency worthwhile. "In the U.S., everybody has their own plate; everybody has their own house," he says. "In Africa, you bring the rice in one bowl, and everybody puts their hands in. People here live like a community: It's social, shared."

The American Embassy invited Kulu Mele to present a mix of traditional African dance and hip hop to African audiences in a performance at ambassador Elizabeth Raspolic's home. "A lot of the musical traditions and dance traditions in the United States originated in Africa," says public affairs officer Andrew McLean, "so it's the best way to bring people together. It highlights a very positive aspect of American culture that has this connection with Africa." The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage, through Dance Advance and with support from the Marketing Innovation Program, funded Kulu Mele's trip.

The dancers say that what they will remember is the togetherness of the people in the face of poverty and political corruption and instability. A week after the company left Guinea, longtime president Lansana Conte's death led to a military coup.

"While I'm performing, I'll be thinking about what I've seen and the people I've talked to in Guinea," says Ama Schley, who dances the lead woman's role in Mali Saido. "This was my first time in Africa, but it feels like my second home now."

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