Abou "Todo" Camara currently lives in Gainesville, FL and works at the University of Florida. He has travelled the world playing balafon for Les Ballet Africains, Le Ballet National du Senegal, and also in the Guinean Army band!

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Namory Keita was born in 1982 in the village of Sangbarala, Guinea. At age 7 he began drumming, becoming the lead drummer for his village in 2006.

Members of his family are well-known drummers. His brothers, Solo Keita, living in Japan, and Nansady Keita, in England, grew up drumming with Namory under the tutelage of his uncle, Famoudou Konate, one of the most famous West African drummers in the world.

Namory recorded his first CD in 2010 named Kolafolo meaning the ‘Beginning of Everything’. He is a featured artist on recordings by Solo Keita, Billy Konate and Diarra Konate to name a few.

As an international teacher and performing artist, Namory has been invited to many places to share his culture including Germany, Poland, France, Canada, and Portugal. Since coming to America in 2010, he has played with Famoudou Konate, Mamady Keita, Bolokada Conde, Moussa Traore, Mamady Kourouma and the list goes on.

Namory plays for the world renowned West African dance teacher Youssouf Koumbassa, the Kouraba Festival in Canada, Cirque Zuma Zuma, ILAP, and many other noted musicians and venues throughout New England and the US and abroad.

Namory Keita, Master Drummer, is a sought after teacher and performer with a unique style and a wealth of traditional knowledge very rare to find outside the villages of Guinea. His resources include not only his wonderful ability to engage any audience but also his relationships with dancers and drummers locally and around the world.

 

Lesina Martin is a native of Detroit, MI. She graduated from Howard University in 2003 with a B.A. in African Studies. While there, she co-founded Nsaa Dance ensemble - the University’s first campus organization for African dance and drumming. Also during her time at Howard, she joined Farafina Kan under the direction of Mahiri Keita-Edwards - son and protégé of Mamady Keita. For ten years, she taught outreach throughout the Washington, DC area with Traditional Expressions, an Arts Enrichment program designed to teach African folkloric studies (dance, music, and song). She entered the classroom full-time teaching Social Studies in 2014, and is now an Arts Integration Specialist and Co-Director of Farafina Kan’s Junior Company. Over the years, Lesina has traveled to West Africa on several occasions to study traditional folklore in Guinea, Senegal, Gambia, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire. Lesina endeavors to continue the mission of working with the community and fellow educators to increase awareness of African cultural heritage.

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Seny Daffe was born in Conakry, Guinea. He began studying dance and drum at the age of ten. He is a versatile musician and plays the djembe, krin, bolon, gongoma, sangban, balafon, and doundouns. He is also a very talented singer and comedian, and is widely known and acclaimed to this day in Conakry as a big star!
Daffe has a wealth of performing experience in traditional and Contemporary Dance and Drum. He has been a member, director, and composer for Messages of Boulbint-African Rhythm Tap Company, Ballet Bassikolo, and Seny Daffe Company. He also toured extensively in West Africa, Europe, and the United States and has performed with renowned artists Mamadi Keita, Fatoubou Camera, Abou Sylla, and Bahaly Camera.
Since coming to the United States in 2006, he has traveled the Eastern coast from Florida to Vermont working with several companies and well known artists. He is now a member of Jeh Kulu. Seny plays regularly for Jeh Kulu dance and drum classes, and assists in musical direction and choreography. He is a multi-talented and dynamic performer who is gaining a reputation in the U.S. for his electrifying doundoun playing and rich and powerful voice.

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Atiba Rorie - Djembefola, guitarist and songwriter Atiba Rorie earned his BA in Music from UNC Greensboro in 2007, where he is now a lecturer and dance music coordinator. He is the founder, percussionist, and bandleader for of the acclaimed international multi-genre band, Africa Unplugged.

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Christan Carter-Poret, a New Orleans Native, has had the opportunity to learn and instruct students throughout the South and Southeast. Since the tender age of 6, this bubbly lady has used dance to minister, heal, revive, and enlighten all those who encounter her spirit. Under the leadership of her mentors Abdoylaye "Papa" Camara and Ms. Judy Legier, and through instruction, performances, documentation, preservation, and exposure, Christan continues to study and keep the traditions and dreams of her predecessors alive. Christan is a founding member Djoli Kelen, Inc. and has served the Atlanta African Dance and Drum Community in various fashions including but not limited to Assistant Artistic Director of Manga African Dance, Interim Artistic Director of Uhuru Dancers, Afrikan Djeli Cultural Institutes Board CFO, AADDF Planning Committee, lead instructor for Tuesday West African Dance, and general support to all facets of African Dance, Community and Culture. To know and work with Christan is to know love for the African Dance and Drum Cultures, communities, people, music, energies, and characters it brings together.

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Hallie Matthews is a middle school visual arts education and yoga instructor based in the Triad. She is a lifelong artist, creator, and mover who values meaningful collaboration and creating spaces for others to reconnect with themselves, their environment, and those around them. Her yoga class honors both Ashtanga and Yin Hatha yoga practices- combining dynamic and relaxing flows that are perfect for dancers or others who want to reconnect with their body and sharpen focus. Join her on Saturday at 9:15 AM to warm up for the day!

 

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Souleymane Solo Sana is an accomplished traditional dancer from Mali, West Africa. Dedicated to the preservation of traditional dance, music, and culture Solo is committed to continuous research to maintain an accurate representation and disbursement of traditional information, movement, and rhythm.  A former principal member of one of the premiere companies of Mali,  Ballet Du District de Bamako, he is a leader among artists.   Solo’s presence at local ceremonies and festivals in Mali has always been in high demand, performing with renown griots and musicians as well as internationally known artists such as Djeneba Seck and Oumou Sangare.  With an extensive knowledge of traditional dances of the Mande culture he is highly sought after as an instructor for private and group lessons teaching students from around the world including internationally acclaimed dancers, university instructors, and Broadway performers.  Currently Solo splits his time between teaching and performing in the United States and running Kono Gnaga, his NGO in Mali with a mission to preserve traditional dance and music.   Solo made his choreographic premiere in New York City in the Spring of 2014 and has most recently embarked on the creation of Sira Koro, a dance and music ensemble in Mali, where he serves as Artistic Director and choreographer with a mission to bring new perspective to traditions while simultaneously providing opportunities for young artists in Mali.

 

 

Aboubocar "Amo" Soumah was born and raised in Conakry, Guinea, West Africa. He hails from the popular Guinean Gbassikolo Drum and Dance Company, which is directed by Fode ‘Lavia’ Camara’s father, Mr. Djibril ‘Badjibi’ Camara, of which Amo was a member from 2000-2006. He first discovered his love for his country’s traditional music at the age of eight,and rose to the title of “Djembe Fola”. Since arriving in the United States in 2006,he has been a well sought after performer. At University of Florida, Amo is Adjunct Lecturer and Musical Director of AGBEDIDI in the School of Theatre and Dance.

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Kofi Agyei embarked on his journey at a young age studying traditional Ghanaian music from the Ashanti Dynasty. At thirteen years old, he was introduced to the djembe. Traditional styles of drumming from the Manding region of western Africa including; Guinea, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and parts of the Gambia. His mentors include world renowned musicians, Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu Il and Fode Moussa Camara. In 2009, Kofi attended Charleston Southern University. Over the years, Kofi has made guest appearances at various venues such as the opening weekend for the National Museum of African American History and Culture(2017), Kennedy Center- Millennium Stage(2016), The African Arts Award at Smithsonian National Museum of African Art(2016), Kwanzaa festivals held in New York with the Dinizulu Drummers & Dancers, as well as many other venues with the Asase Yaa Dance Company(2008-2014), Devore Dance School(1998-2011), Wona Womalan(2009-), Ni Dembaya African Drum & Dance Collective(2017-), Traditional expressions(2016-), Coyaba Dance Theater(2016-) and Step Afrika(2018-) including such prestigious events as the North Charleston Arts Festival, Florida African Dance Festival, Dance Africa D.C, Dance Africa NYC, Inaugural Peace Ball, African Arts Awards, and as a touring [solo and ensemble] percussionist with Step Afrika in the off broadway showing of The Migration: Reflections on Jacob Lawrence in 2018.

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Nafi Diabate - Coming soon! 

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