Kulu Mele - African American Dance Ensemble

Kulu Mele African Drum and Dance Ensemble has for more than 30 years been a vital driving force behind the African cultural renaissance in Philadelphia. The company presents African American dance traditions rooted in the cultures and aesthetic values of the African Diaspora, blending West African ancestral traditions and African American creativity. Kulu Mele draws on the musical and movement forms of Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana, and the Senegambia region, as well as African American vernacular traditions including Hip-hop, Bop, Cha-cha, and d Slop. Performances and workshops vividly convey to diverse audiences the artistic excellence in their midst and the meanings of dancing and drumming in the African and African Diasporic societies from which these traditions come. Vibrant dances are always presented with authentic and compelling costumes. Choreography is developed by company members, as well as master dancers and choreographers from home countries.

Workshops
Kulu Mele offers a wide range of workshops in African diasporic dance and music-from single session participatory programs, lecture-demonstrations to long-term residencies. We teach dance and drum technique, related dress and cultural protocols, the interrelationship of drum rhythms and dance, and the particular values and traditions that inform songs and dances. When working with the youth, we teach from our own experiences, how to find and follow a dream and how to develop creativity and artistic potential. In addition, Kulu Mele has Omo Kulu Mele, a youth performing ensemble of 25 youth ages 4-14 that provides weekly classes over a 40 week period in traditional African dance, drum and history as well as performance opportunities at major festivals and venues. Kulu Mele members have been teaching in the Philadelphia Folklore Project's (PFP) Folk Arts and Multicultural Education program for many years.

Performance Venues
Kulu Mele performs in a wide range of places-community gatherings, universities, theaters, concert halls, recreation centers, weddings, and festivals. We are able to work as a full ensemble or as individual dancers and drummers. Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble presents a wide range of concerts, programs, workshops, and residencies based on our extensive repertoire, for audiences and participants.

Apprenticeships/Study Tours
Kulu Mele continues to learn and preserve performing arts traditions by participating in apprenticeships with recognized master artists. The company travels throughout the African Diaspora for extensive cultural immersion in the countries of origin.
Apprenticeships and study tours include:
• Senegalese Dance Apprenticeship with Assane Konte
• Guinea Dance Apprenticeship with Tenefig Dioubate
• Yoruba Orisha Dance Apprenticeship in Cuba with Cutumba Dance Company
• Guinea Dance with Youssouf Koumbassa and M'bemba Barngooura
• 2000 Senegambia Dance Apprenticeship in Guinea, with M M'bemba Barngoura
• 2008 Kulu Mele residency in Guinea, West Africa, which included an intensive study with internationally recognized artist M'Bemba Bangoura, Mariama Toure and Yamoussa Soumah, as well as dancers from the Les Ballets Africans and Merveilles D' Guinea. In search of Mali Sadjo, The legend of the Hippopotamus, a theatrical ballet from Guinea. This residency resulted in the premiering of the African-ballet and documentary film.