Vado Diomande (Ivory Coast)

Master dancer, drummer, choreographer and skill mask dancer
1973-1989 Ivory Coast National Ballet
Director of Kotchegna Dance Company
Dance and drum teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY
Makes African drums -- CDs and drums for sale
For more information go to www.kotchegna.com

Mamadou Dahoue (Ivory Coast)

Master dancer, singer, mask dancer and choreographer
Ivory Coast National Ballet
Rose Marie Guiro School of Dance and Cultural Exchange
Director of Ancestra Messengers Dance Company
Dance teacher: Ron Rodgers Dance Studio - NY, NY; Restoration Dance Theater - Brooklyn
Vidoes and DVDs for sale
For more information go to www.mamadoudahoue-africandance.com

Maguette Camara (Senegal)

Master dancer, drummer, choreographer and artistic director
1982-1995 Senegal National Ballet
Dance teacher: Alvin Ailey, Colombia University, Djoniba Dance and Drum
Center, St. Augustine School, Barnard College and Battery Park Recreation
Center -- NY, NY
Director of Mané Kadang

Fode Bangoura (Guinea)

Master drummer
Guinea National Ballet
Les Mervielle de Guinea
Drum teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY
CDs and DVDs for sale

Brian Bromka (Syracuse, NY)

Cuban-style Salsa dancer and choreographer
Artistic Director of la Familia de la Salsa
Dance teacher: Central New York
For more information go to www.lafamiliadelasalsa.com

Pablo Sekou (Mali)

Master drummer
Mali National Ballet
Ivory Coast Koteba Dance Company
Ancestra Messengers Dance Company
Drum teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY

Mangue Sylla (Guinea)

Master drummer
Guinea National Ballet
Les Mervielle de Guinea
Drum teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY
CDs and DVDs for sale
For more information go to www.manguesylla.com

Mamadi Sano (Guinea)

Master dancer
Guinea National Ballet
Les Mervielle de Guinea
Dance teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY; Columbia, SC and Atlanta, GA

Mamasata Camara (Guinea)

Master dancer
Guinea National Ballet
Les Mervielle de Guinea
Dance teacher: City Center -- NY, NY; Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY

Ousmane Sall (Senegal)

Master dancer, actor and choregrapher
Yakar Roots, Rhythms and Dance Co.
Dance teacher: Djoniba Dance and Drum Center -- NY, NY; Harlem YMCA -- NY, NY

Tasneem Grace Tewogbola (Syracuse, NY)

Dancer, storyteller and creative writer
Studied and performed West African dance with Village Cultural Arts Dance Troupe in Nashville, TN and with Fore-Fote Dance in Roume, Guinea
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Yomee Lee (Korea)

Dancer
Studies West African dance with Joie Taylor and Maurice Haltom in Ithaca, NY
Studied and performed with Sabor Latino, Cornell Ballroom Dance Team and Columbus Dance Centre in Ohio
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Billye Raushanah Smith (Newark, Ohio)

Dancer
Studied West African and Caribbean dance at Amherst College
Performed with Joie Taylor's African Dance Troupe in Ithaca, NY
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Joie Chiana Taylor (Alabama)

Dancer, choreographer, musician (tenor saxophone) and writer
Performed with Samite Mulondo at Grassroots Festival 2005 and 2004 in Ithaca, NY
Studied West African dance at Fihankara Cultural Center in Atlanta, Georgia
One World Drum and Arts Exchange in Guinea, West Africa
Ghana National Dance Ensemble Tamale and Accra, Ghana
Dance teacher: City Health Club -- Ithaca, NY
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Monique Woods (Syracuse, NY)

Dancer
Performed with Umoja Dance Troupe and Adanfo Dance Company
African dance teacher: Southwest Community Center and various after-school programs
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Maira Wolney Costa Mathews (Brazil)

Dancer
Performed capoeira with Candeias group in Tocantins, Brazil
Studies modern dance at Syracuse School of Dance
Lead dancer for the St. Lucy's church liturgical dance group
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Chantal C. Alleyne (Port-au-Prince, Haiti)

Dancer
Studied and performed West African dance with Olatunji Dancers in NYC and West Africa, as well as theater acting in NYC
Wacheva Dance Troupe

Jill Finochio (Syracuse, NY)

Dancer
Studied West African dance in Kauai, HI and at Djoniba Dance and Drum Center in NY, NY
Wacheva Dance Troupe
Wacheva Cultural Arts: Director of Administration and Public Relations
For more information go to Jill's biography

Biboti Ouikahilo (Ivory Coast)

Founder and Artistic Director of Wacheva Cultural Arts. Former dancer, drummer and choreographer of the Ivory Coast National Ballet for 17 years. Biboti taught African dance for 6 years in NYC and currently resides in Syracuse, NY where he continues to share his culture with the CNY community.

The piece, "Listen to your mom; you are in the village," is written, choreographed and produced by Biboti Ouikahilo.

For more information go to Biboti's biography