GUINEA - Project Archive
Project Archive: 2011
Project Title: Classical Ballet Technique for Child Acrobats
Project Partners: Le Centre d’Art Acrobatique "Keita Fodeba "
Project Location: Conakry
In 2011, the RDDC ran a short series of workshops with street children attending Le Centre d’Art Acrobatique in Conakry. The purpose of these workshops is to develop the professional ballet technique necessary for these talented children to refine their craft as acrobats and contortionists.
Project Archive: 2010
Project Title: Classical Ballet Technique for West African Dancers
Project Partners: Le Ballet de Matam
Project Location: Conakry
Modeled after the cross-training, cross-cultural program between Rebecca Davis Dance and Amizero Dance Kompagnie in Rwanda, this project involved working with Ballet de Matam. Rebecca taught the acclaimed troupe’s dancers contemporary ballet and she studied Guinean/West African dance. Moreover, Ballet de Matam has just launched its own new initiative in conjunction with UNICEF that combines schooling with dance classes for street kids. Rebecca worked with Ballet de Matam to teach these children daily. Perhaps the main conclusion Rebecca derived from her work in Guinea will come as a surprise: the West African ballet training is very similar to the Russian ballet system. Here is how Rebecca summarizes this comparison:
"When I studied in Russia, I was inspired by the great traditional ballet lineage that is evident during every moment of technical instruction. The ballet masters evoke memories, corrections and anecdotes from the centuries of Russian dancers and teachers that preceded them to guide the next generation of students and instill respect for the art form in each and every young heart. When you train there, you understand you are part of a much bigger ballet universe and you have an individual and collective responsibility to uphold the quality of the craft. In Guinea, our West African dance rehearsals at Ballet de Matam were always packed with an audience ranging from drummers, to master teachers, to Guinean artists, to street kids. There was a daily speech given by the Ballet’s administrator, Jacques DantoumaSoumah, about a particular topic: attention to technical details; the importance of preserving Guinean dance and culture; or the previous great, famous dancers who led the troupe. The current artists take great care to extend their knowledge to children studying there. The older masters attentively watch hours of daily rehearsals, interrupting when a dance step or drum rhythm goes askew. Training there gave me a great sense of the major role dance has to play in the lives of Guineans as well as the way it can be used to project a positive image of this highly developed cultural system in a developing country to the outside world. It is amazing to see history and culture treated with this depth of respect from people of all ages – in Russia and in Guinea. Perhaps there is an important lesson for other countries, including our own."