dancer educator choreographer black american griot
Kenna
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“Often described simply as “praise-singers” because singing praises is the most obvious and audible function they perform, griots actually contribute to their own societies in so many other ways that “praise-singer” becomes a far too limited description. For example, they are also historians, genealogists, advisors, spokespersons, diplomats, interpreters, musicians, composers, poets, teachers, exhorters, town criers, reporters, and masters of or contributors to a variety of ceremonies”
-Oral Tradition, 12/2 (1997): 249-278
From the Griot of Roots to the Roots of Griot by Thomas A. Hale
I am a dancer, a mover in the oral tradition of the Griot. I use movement to process and understand the world. My work as a dancer has several directions. I am interested in traditional forms of the African Diaspora, I use contemporary dance as an investigative tool, and my artistic practice as a dancer is fed by my work as a dance educator.
My work with my traditional company, Voice of Culture Drum and Dance, forms the foundation of my African dance practice. I started VoC in 2008 with my daughter and two other young artists from the community. Five years later, VoC is 15 members strong with a healthy repertoire of traditional Malinke rhythms, songs and dances. Over the years, I have provided traditional West African performance for many community venues and cultural celebrations, like Juneteenth and Rondo Days. I’ve travelled in Africa and worked with national and international African artists to improve my understanding of the culture and technique.
Although my physicality is grounded in forms of the African Diaspora, I am attracted to concepts of abstraction and expression found in contemporary forms. This leads me to dance with artists such as Ananya Chatterjee, where we explore issues and ideas through the use of very specific forms of movement. I am also attracted to highly physical, highly improvisational dance work with a Jazz aesthetic, which I have experienced working with theater-based artists Sharon Bridgforth and Laurie Carlos. Working in a postmodern style with April Sellers represents a complete physical and creative shift, which is a challenge to my dancers mind and body.
In teaching I access new information about the movement that I know so well. Part of my oral tradition as an artist is passing information, storytelling. Teaching my after-school drum and dance group at Maxfield Elementary school gives me energy. Helping Black youth fully embrace their artistic power and legacy is essential food for my artists soul. I strongly believe that being a dance educator is an integral part of my artistry as a dancer. I am a Griot, that means I am an artist who teaches. The work I do with students, from the U of MN, to TU Dance, to Maxfield, informs the way that I dance.