COLLABORATING ARTISTS AND PERFORMING COMPANIES

• Chicago, Illinois

Minianka West African Dance Company
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago
Najwa Dance Corps

• Oakland, California

            Diamano Coura West African Dance Company

• New Orleans, Louisiana

Shaka Zulu, hails from New Orleans as a drummer, Mardi Gras Indian, stilt walker, and co-founder of Zulu
Connection, a company dedicated to preserving the cultures of Africa, the Caribbean, and Haiti, all of these cultures being inherent in the make-up of New Orleans culture. Shaka has exposed these cultures to audiences across the United States and world wide.

For more than 35 years Stephen Kenyatta Simon has been working as a professional drummer, master educator and world musician. Specializing in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Haitian drum culture he has worked with renowned dance companies such as Urban Bush Women (UBW) and musicians such as Bill Summers, Olatunji and toured Cuba with Nicholas Payton’s Louis Armstrong Centennial Orchestra. An icon in the New Orleans community Mr. Simon, also respectfully known as “Baba Kenyatta” helped to develop and co-founded Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective, one of the oldest African dance companies in New Orleans. 

For more than 30 years Wesley Phillips also know as Kamau hails from New Orleans has studied with Sun Ra Orchestra and the genres of West African, Gospel, Brazilian, New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian style drumming. He brings these varying drum cultures, rhythmic patterns to create an avant garde style of drumming, what he calls “the spirit of the drum.”

Curtis Pierre, also known as “New Orleans own Samba Man,” is a percussionist, singer, drummer and artistic director and founder of Casa Samba. Pierre was recognized by Mayor Sidney Barthelemy in a 1993 Proclamation as the first New Orleans based Samba School. He specializes in: Samba Percussion, hand drums and a wide range of percussion instruments; fight choreography; costume and prop design; and various Afro-Brazilian cultural dances such as samba, maculele, capoeira and stilt dancing.  Pierre is well known as one of the three best Malabarismo (pandeiro jugglers) in the U.S.

Zohar Israel is a specialist in the sabar hand and stick drumming of Senegal, West Africa.  He has traveled extensively throughout Senegal studying with renowned master drummers such as Doudou N’Deye Rose and Sing Sing Faye. The Sabar form encompasses at least 10 distinct drum languages patterned to accompany varying dance styles.

DJ Mannie Fresh, born and raised in New Orleans currently a rapper and hip-hop producer who records for Def Jam South. From 1993-2005, he was the in-house producer for Cash Money Records and has worked extensively with recording artists Lil’ Wayne and B.G. Juvenile.

Bill Summers is a percussionist, singer and drummer of the highest order, playing anything from
traditional African instruments to pop bottles. He has worked with Quincy Jones on the musical score for Roots and The Color Purple, Herbie Hancock, Salif Keita, Patrice Rushan, Phyllis Hyman and is a founding member of the multi-award-winning Los Hombres Calientes. He is also founder of the Summers Multi Ethnic Arts Institute.

Sekou Alaje is a talented bassist, percussionist and composer specializing in Jazz, Afro-cuban, Afro-Haitian, Congolese and contemporary African music. Currently based in Atlanta, Georgia he teaches music to over 300 children in the Atlanta school district and has his own performing company called Egbe Alaje, a folkloric ensemble that performs music of the African Diaspora.

Judah Mason is a drummer specializing in New Orleans and West African musical styles. He also was born into the New Orleans African drum tradition. He has performed both statewide and internationally for the past 20 years.

Bumanni Pierre is an aspiring young drummer of Afro-brazilian samba and high school marching band/drumline competitor. He hails from New Orleans and is currently a student at Arthur Ashe Middle School. In the last year he as currently began extensive travel and study in Brazil.

Sunni Patterson is a New Orleans poet, spokenword artist and singer. She has been a featured
performer at the many of Nation’s premier spoken word venues, including HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. She has also had the privilege of speaking at the Panafest in Ghana, West Africa and has worked with well known artists including Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez, Wanda Coleman, Amiri Baraka, and Laini Kuumba Afrikan Dance Company.

Jason Blackburn is an aspiring young rapper and spokenword artist attending Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Danielle Miles is a New Orleans visual artist, whose work has featured throughout New Orleans. In 2007 her collection of work was feature as a part of “An Exhibition of Art Made by the Women of Ashé” at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center