Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

On Thursday evening we returned to Sekou’s studio for the dance spectacular. The show was scheduled to start at 6 pm, so we went and piled into taxis and headed downtown. We arrived late, about 6:20, but found that they had changed the starting time, and the show was now scheduled to begin at 8 pm. We hung around for a few minutes, during which Yamoussa, our first dancing instructor and a principal dancer with Sekou’s company, arrived on his motorcycle. We greeted him, and he went indoors. We then were informed that we would walk somewhere, although no one really seemed to know where we were going. Since we have become rather accustomed to this state of affairs, we followed along dutifully, and walked for a few blocks to a small café and bar, where we sat around a small patio and a few people ordered drinks.

About 7:45 some of us began to get antsy and suggested we head back to the studio. We were told it was too early, but shortly after 8 we headed out and walked back. When we arrived we found they still weren’t ready to start, so we waited outside for awhile, watching the always-bustling Conakry street scene, and then finally went in around 8:30. We were lead to the front row of several rows of plastic chairs that had been set up for the occasion. The chairs were labeled “VIP.” How we merited VIP seating, I don’t know, except that Guineans have always seemed to be especially hospitable to us.

The audience continued to file in and fill the seats, finally numbering about 150 or so. After awhile, an emcee got on the stage and spoke for awhile, introducing Sekou and others, and then a woman came out and lip-synched to French tunes while three dancers did some simple dance steps behind her. This was clearly to kill time until they were ready to start, but the audience appreciated her songs nevertheless. Finally, around 9:30, the drummers came out and set up on the left side of the stage. They were wearing simple short sleeved pull-over white shirts that have been identified as the special shirts drummers wear for concerts. Some were wearing baseball caps.

They began a rhythm and the show began. A parade of elaborately costumed characters danced around the stage – we recognized several of the masks that we have seen around the country. One was the Nimba, the symbol of Guinea, which is a four legged female creature with a bird-like face. Then successive groups of dancers, all in very elaborate and beautiful costumes, came out and performed very energetic dances, while the drummers beat out complex and skillful rhythms. The show, in a word, was incredible. It displayed such remarkable talent and such beauty that it would be hard to describe. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.

When the show ended, the dancers took their bows, and then they set up some drums across the stage and held a post-ballet dundunba. A group of young drummers came out – they looked to be high school age – and played some rhythms. Although they did not display the virtuosity of the ballet drummers, they still were very talented, and put on a good show. Toward the end some people went up on the stage to dance, and with a little encouragement, several of the Americans went up and joined them.

Then Sekou and others began setting up chairs and drums across the stage again, and they announced the Americans were going to play something. We had not been told about this, but all went up on the stage and took our places. Olu was in the center and he began a rhythm, which we picked up on. He then played some solos with the rhythm. I have to say, compared to the other drummers, we looked like amateurs, but the audience was very warm. After we finished the first rhythm, Sekou sat in and we played another, then cleared the stage. The dundunba continued for a little while longer, and most of the crowd stayed for the whole thing.

After the show, one member of our group declared that the ballet performance was “one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” I would have to agree – it really was a unique experience to be able to see this wonderful show. We also got to see just how hard Sekou, Yamoussa and others who have taught us work, and how talented they are in their own realm. This company, which was started by Sekou’s dad and which Sekou recently took over when his father passed away, has toured widely and is well known in Guinea. Still, it seemed to me that the talent on display merited an audience larger than the one they attracted in this large, busy, but poor urban area. I wonder if the Gf 20,000 (approximately $4.50) entry kept too many people away – after all, at the rehearsal, when the doors to the street were open, many passers-by stopped in to watch, so clearly there is interest. Perhaps people have to work to hard just to get by and don’t have time for entertainment, or maybe many who would have an interest in a cultural show don’t feel safe going out after dark onto Conakry’s sometimes chaotic and disorderly streets. I do think, however, that this show transcended Guinean culture, and displayed a rich heritage that would be appreciated by audiences anywhere in the world.