Many dance companies have copied the name, but THIS IS THE ORIGINAL. Founded in Paris during the Colonial era, flowered during the period of African Independence, and still going strong, today... This show was recorded in 1990, and the late, great KEMOKO SANO was their choreographer, at that time. You can see him playing the krin (log drum), front and center. He comes out from behind the instrument at 3:10-3:15...

Kemoko Sano trained some of the finest Guinean artists of the generation that came of age after Guinean Independence in 1958. These include Mamady Keita, as well as the director and most of the original members of Percussions de Guinée. For almost five decades, "Sano" directed large music and dance ensembles from Guinea in regional, national, and international venues beginning with the Prefectural troop of Macenta in 1960, the ballet National Djoliba from 1973 to 1986 and Merveilles d'Afrique, which he founded in 1986.

In 1986, Sano became the choreographer of Les Ballets Africains, in which capacity he rehearsed and made new works for the national company. At the time of his transfer from Le Ballet National Djoliba to Les Ballets Africains, he was asked to select the 10 best musicians and dancers from the former troop to join Les Ballets Africains, where they became a principal artists. He performed with them throughout the world, and was recognized in francophone West Africa as one of the foremost exponents of traditional music and dance.

The basis of "Ballet" style presentations is its rapid sequence of dances. Versus in a traditional setting, where only one dance (or perhaps at most a handful of dances) would be performed during the course of an event. The Ballet style evolved in order to make staged, non-traditional presentations more exciting: first for European audiences, and then for Guineans, themselves. Indeed, the National Ballet played a central role in Sekou Toure's post-independence nation-building efforts. At that time, the company was based on the grounds of Toure's presidential palace. They accompanied him in official capacities, while maintaining their own touring schedule throughout Guinea, the African continent, and the world. By presenting repertoire from all of Guinea's different regions and ethnic groups, her citizens were encouraged to think of themselves as members of the new nation, and to set aside internecine rivalries.

Evolution of the modern style of djembe playing is intertwined with the National Ballet's history of worldwide tours. While abroad, some of the founding musicians availed themselves of new drum-making materials, such as industrially-produced cordage. This allowed for the extremely high-pitched tuning nowadays almost inseparable from the djembe drum. Add the more recent adoption of medical-grade tape for the players' fingers, and the entire sound spectrum of the ensemble has changed, versus its traditional roots.

Moreover, not every one of Guinea's ethnic groups even use djembe and dundun drums! Once again, unique and varied instrumentation and orchestration were adapted to the standardized Ballet ensemble, with its extremely loud instruments appropriate for early, non-amplified presentations in European and international concert halls.

Dance movements also were modified in order to make them more exciting. As previously mentioned, the rapid sequences of movements and dances is a modern concept, whereas a village aesthetic might involve only a single movement performed for hours.

Thus, this performance is not an example of traditional African music, although its roots are traditional and truly ancient. Certainly, we can enjoy the presentation -- and celebrate African creativity -- while also embracing these artists' universal desire to grow, change, address current conditions, make use of the resources at hand, and move our spirits via whatever means they find most appropriate and relevant.

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