Overview of cultural and historical context in West African Dance  

The traditional dances I share in class are coming from the Western region of the African continent, in an area known today as the country of Guinea. The capital of Guinea is Conakry and the country is bordered by Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Mali, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and the Atlantic Ocean.
On this map, you will see the country of Guinea in the color green. Many ethnicities of peoples live in the land area we know today as Guinea, including the Fulani, Malinke, Susu, Kpelle, Kisi, Toma, Baga, Landouma, Nalu, Temine and 15-20 more.

In 1958, the people of Guinea voted for independence from French governance which had long colonized the region. Newly independent, they elected Ahmed Sekou Toure as their first president. Toure held competitions to call together the most talented dance and drum artists from villages all over the country, representing many different ethnic backgrounds. They came together in the capital city of Conakry to form the first national dance and drum company to represent the country, Les Ballet Africains de la Republique du Guinea. 

President Toure brought the company with him all around the world, performing for audiences on every continent, garnering international interest in the cultural traditions and incredible talents of the artists. 

One of my most influential teachers, Youssouf Koumbassa was a principal dancer in another of Guinea's early national dance companies, Ballets Djoliba. Since the 1960's Youssouf and many more dance and drum artists from Guinea's original companies have been traveling, teaching, and finding homes on every continent, thus building a large international community devoted to the study of West African dance and drumming in the tradition of the peoples of Guinea.

Each of the countries that make up West Africa have traditions of dance and drumming, and although there are certainly similarities and overlaps, there are also unique differences across the region. Likewise, there are traditions of dance and drumming across the continent that differ vastly in instrumentation and movement style. In each case, the movements and their accompanying songs and rhythms reflect the culture, the land, the ways of life, practices, traditions and experiences of the people.

To honor and preserve the important elements that make up culture and people and their unique stories, it is important not to lump the vast and varied music and dance traditions from across the continent into one general idea, and instead to learn the specific tradition and acknowledge the roots and origins of the form we study.

In present day Guinea, traditional movements from the original village dances remain, while the dances also continue to evolve and expand through the national dance companies. This ever-evolving cultural art form reflects the added style and flavor of each artist in the original companies, as well as the styles coming through the younger and upcoming generation of artists.