Drum and Dance Rehearsal

On Wednesday afternoon, we loaded in taxis and went towards downtown Conakry to a dance studio to watch a drumming and dancing ensemble rehearse. The studio opened directly to the street, and we could hear the beat of the drums as we approached the location. We got out of the taxis and walked through the crowd gathered around the doors and windows, peering in. Inside, the studio was sparse – there was a stage at one end and the rest of the large room was empty, except for one bench in the middle of the room. There were no lights, except for what filtered through the doors and windows on each side of the building. There also was no air conditioning nor fans, and it was very hot in the room.

About 30 people sat on the floor in front of the stage. The drummers were lined up at the far end of the stage, and the dancers were rehearsing. The dancing occurs as individuals or in single-sex groups, and alternates between female and male dancers. It is very high energy – lots of moving the legs and arms, jumping and turns.

The ensemble is directed by Sekou, who taught us drumming during our first two weeks in Guinea. The lead dancer was Yamoussa, who taught our first dance classes. Our balofon instructor Ishmael is also a member of this group, as is Ballake, another of our drumming instructors. Some of the drummers who have been hanging around the house and playing the drums for our dance classes also played with this group.

They made some room for some of our group on the bench, and the rest of us stood up and watched the rehearsal. Shortly after we arrived they took a break and those in the troupe who knew us came over to greet us. We had not seen Yamoussa for a couple of weeks and it was nice to see him again. Then, most people went to the large patio behind the building to sit in the shade. We followed them to the patio, where there was a nice, cooling breeze.

After the break we went back in, and the drummers set up on the floor at the opposite side of the room from the stage. The dancers gathered to one side. Many of the people who were watching the first part of the rehearsal had dissipated – it seemed most of them were just passing the building and had stopped to watch for awhile. The members of our group and a few others gathered to watch another run-through of their show.

The drumming and dancing were really incredible. Sekou’s group is one of the best-known in Conakry and their reputation is well deserved. The dancing included solos by each of the dancers at different times, as well as choreographed group dancing, with women and men alternating. At one point Ballake moved to the center of the stage to solo on his djembe, followed by Sekou doing the same. At the end, some of the dancers came over and invited some members of our group out on the floor to dance. Dr. Fosheim, David and Brittney all went out and danced with some of the professional dancers. Another large crowd had gathered as they ran through their show, and they appreciated the contributions of the Americans.

After the rehearsal, the troupe gathered around sitting on the floor, and Sekou and Yamoussa went through some of the details with them. Sekou invited us to see this show, which is debuting tonight (Thursday). Apparently we saw one of the last run-throughs. Several of us plan to go to see the full show, with costumes and all. Check back for details soon.