PERFORMED BY BALAFON WEST AFRICAN DANCE ENSEMBLE

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Unite!
PERFORMED BY
BALAFON
WEST AFRICAN DANCE ENSEMBLE
Welcome to Cuesheet,
a performance guide
published by the
Education Department
of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the
Performing Arts,
Washington, D.C.
This Cuesheet is
designed to help
you enjoy the
performance of Unite!
by Balafon West African
Dance Ensemble.
A balafon (BA-lah-fahn)
is a musical instrument
played in West Africa.
A picture of a balafon
marks items you may
want to talk about with
other students, friends,
or family.
What’s in
Cuesheet?
Guinea’s Gift to the
Stage, pages 2-3
Dancers and their
Dances, pages 4-5
Drums, Drums and
Shakers!, pages 6-7
On Performance Day,
Resources, page 8
ensemble (on-SOM-bull)—
a group of dancers and
musicians
© PHOTOGRAPH BY STAN BAROUH
9
PHOTOGRAPH BY CYNTHIA FRIEDMAN
all about balafon
Kadiatou performs
with many different
instruments, including
shakers like this one.
Unite!
B
alafon West African Dance
Ensemble performs dance,
songs and music from The
Republic of Guinea (GIH-nee).
The dancers wear brightly colored
costumes and jump, spin, and sway
to the beat of African drums. The
program is called “Unite!” because
the members of Balafon want to
join together with you, their audience, to celebrate life.
percussion—musical
instrument played by striking
it with an object or hands
2
10
Kadiatou was chosen to join the
national dance group of Guinea.
For the next 15 years she traveled
all over the world and danced for
many thousands of people. When
Kadiatou came to the United States
to dance in 1972, she loved the
people here, especially the AfricanAmerican community.
In 1985, Kadiatou finally moved
to Washington, D.C. and formed
the Balafon West African Dance
Ensemble. Her nickname is “Mama”
because she has taught so many
people to dance, much like a mother
teaches her children. Kadiatou
believes that if you dance, you will
be healthier and happier.
balafon's
leader
w h at i s a
balafon?
The leader of Balafon is a woman
from Guinea named Kadiatou
Conte (kah-dee-YAH-too KON-tay).
When she was a young girl, she
learned to dance by copying the
movements of the older people she
watched. She danced whenever she
could because she loved it so much.
When she was 15 years old,
A balafon is sometimes called an
African xlyophone (ZI-loh-fone).
It is a handmade percussion
(purr-KUH-shun) instrument cut
from short, flat pieces of wood tied
to a frame. These pieces of wood are
the “keys” that make the cheerful
sound. To play a balafon, you hit the
keys with wooden sticks.
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a country in africa
west that divides the earth in
A.OR
G
two equal parts.
SY O
EN. C
O
URTE
d a i ly l i f e
Y STE
PHAN
IE CH
ASTE
In Guinea, the marketplace is
important to the community.
People come every day to buy
and sell clothes, fruit, rice,
soap, candies, and many
other things. The marketplace
is always filled with dance and
music. The dancing begins when
drummers join together and play
on wooden drums they have made
themselves.
PH B
When Kadiatou was a
girl in Guinea, she was
not allowed to go to school. In fact,
she became a student only after she
moved to America. By then she
was 30 years old! Think about what
your life would be like if you were
not allowed to go to school. Write a
story about what your experiences
might be like and draw a picture of
Kadiatou as a student in your classroom. Share your story and picture
with your class.
and globes running east and
OGRA
a studen t
at 30!
equator—the line on maps
PHOT
T
UINE
Hundreds of years ago, traders came
to Guinea to buy slaves. The slaves,
mostly men, were shipped across the
ocean and forced to work for farmers
and plantation owners in America,
South America and the Caribbean
islands. Many families in Guinea
were broken apart. The slave trade
ended around 1880. Today, one site
where men were sold is now a museum, reminding everyone of the
painful history of slavery.
OF G
he Republic of Guinea is a
country on the west coast
of Africa, just north of the
equator (ee-KWAY-tur). Its people
come from many different cultures.
Each culture has its own language,
music, dance, clothing, and rules
for living.
NDS
unhappy
hi s t o r y
F FRIE
a count r y
called g u i n e a
These village
children have just
finished playing a game similar
to hopscotch. More photographs
of every day life can be found at
http://friendsofguinea.org.
113
the dancers and
drums, but today they do. Balafon’s
dances show that women can be
powerful as well as graceful.
© PHOTOGRAPH BY STAN BAROUH
a quiet
b e g i n n i n g...
Kadiatou performs at a mall
in Prince George's County,
MD, with a youth group called
Colours.
Mama Kadiatou
is surrounded by
her "daughters,"
members of the
dance ensemble.
who is in
balafon?
B
alafon unites people of
different colors and countries
into one group of performers. Some are African-American,
some white Americans, and others
are African. All of the dancers are
women, and the musicians are men.
Sometimes the dancers play drums
too. When Kadiatou was a young
girl in Guinea, women never played
The performance begins with peaceful music played on a balafon at the
center of the stage. Next, drummers
playing steady beats come to the
stage from all around the theater.
Then the dancers arrive wearing
white dresses so long that they drag
on the floor. Finally, Kadiatou
sings in the Malinke [MA-leen-kay]
language, “Look at us, we are here!”
h i g h e n e r gy
dancing
Eighty years ago, people in West
Africa began dancing a happy
new dance called “High Life.”
In Guinea, this dance is known
as “Macuru” (mah-KOO-roo).
Watch for this happy dance in the
program, because during the
“Macuru,” members of Balafon
will ask some of you to join them
on stage.
m o v i n g a nd
growing
Kadiatou’s favorite dance is the fast
paced "Doun Doun Bah" (DOONdoon-bah). She loves performing it,
because she says that if you dance
it enough, your body will get very
strong.
12
4
© PHOTOGRAPH BY STAN BAROUH
the dances
At the performance, some
students will be invited to
dance on stage. To practice for this,
make up your own dance at home
to your favorite music. Perform
your dance for friends or family.
dance
costume s
Kadiatou Conte designs the costumes worn by the dancers. She
sends her plans to Guinea where
tailors make the costumes from
African cloth. No special shoes have
to be made, because the dancers
always perform in their bare feet.
Dancing this way helps the performers feel more connected to the stage,
and to the ground beneath it.
a tribute
to women
i n a fr i c a
Kadiatou will sing
a quiet song about
women in Africa
while the dancers
move very
smoothly and
slowly. She sings:
“We women in
Africa, we are so
beautiful. We
are so powerful, we are happy
when we dance.” The dance
and music together show that
people can be gentle and still
be very strong.
These dancers wear belts
of bells and shakers while
playing the drums.
PHO
COURTOGRAPH
TESY
B
OF FRY STEPHA
N
IEND
S OF IE CHAST
GUIN
EA.O EEN.
RG
making y o u r
own da n c e
This woman has just
returned from the
marketplace while
carrying her child on
her back.
55
13
the music of b
m us ic a l i ns t r u m e nts
Top: These big drums are
called djoun djouns.
Below: Shakers are made
from gourd-like plants.
pitch—the highness or
lowness of a sound
handmade
from trees
In Guinea, drummers build large
djembe ( JEM-bay) drums by carving
their outer shapes from tree trunks
and hollowing out their centers.
The drumhead is made from an
animal skin stretched over one end
and attached with leather strings
and wooden pegs. The bottom of
the drum is left open. To play a
djembe, you hit the drumhead with
your hands. When the drumhead is
hit, pieces of metal or wood on the
djembe's sides shake and rattle.
formed by the length and
stress of the notes
6
14
bottles of different sizes.
2. Blow across the top of each of
the bottles. Listen to the sounds.
3. Pour some water into a bottle
and blow across its top. How is its
pitch different? Why?
bang a
big drum
The djoun djoun (joon-joon) is a big
drum that makes sounds with a very
low pitch like a bass (base) drum
makes. It has two drumheads made
from thick cowskin tied to each end
of a hollowed-out tree trunk.
drum pitches
rhythm—a pattern of beats
1. Gather two or more plastic
©PHOTOGRAPH BY STAN BAROUH
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CYNTHIA FRIEDMAN
T
he music for Balafon’s dances is played mostly on drums and shakers.
Each instrument has its own sound and is played in its own way.
Bigger drums play lower
pitches and smaller
instruments play higher ones. Pitch
is made by air moving back and
forth. Bigger instruments have more
air inside so their pitch is lower.
To hear this, try the following:
follow
the leader
Balafon’s master drummer sets
the speed (tempo) of the music
and changes it when needed.
He leads the musicians by playing
certain rhythms (RI-thumz) and
pitches, which the musicians and
dancers understand like words in a
language. While these rhythms are
playing, the master drummer will
improvise (IM-pruh-vyze) new
rhythms.
© PHOTOGRAPH BY STAN BAROUH
alafon
b al af on 's s o n gs
M
any of the dances have songs with words that the performers
sing while dancing and drumming.
songs w i t h
an answ e r
Balafon will sing what’s known as
“Call and Response” songs. These
songs sound like one person asking
a question that is answered by
a group of people. Listen when
Kadiatou sings the “Call” and
others sing the “Response.”
learnin g
by ear
In America, children
learn music by hearing
it and later, some learn to read
musical notes. In Guinea most
music is learned by ear — by
listening and trying to recreate
what has been heard. Think of a
The dancers and musicians play
the big drums and make music
with their shakers.
song you know, such as “Mary
Had a Little Lamb.” Without telling
your classmates what the song is,
clap the rhythm of the song. Have
your classmates try to recreate the
rhythm. Can they tell what song
has been clapped?
express
yourself
In Guinea, people sing
songs, play drums, and
dance to show how they feel—
happy or sad, mad or glad. In a
group of 5 students, make up a
dance and drum beats that express
a feeling. As a group, perform the
dance and play the beats on drums
or even on your desks. Ask your
class to guess what the feeling is.
15
7
Resources
on performance day
You may want to…
read:
Huet, Michael. The Dances of Africa.
New York: Harry M. Abrams
Publishing, 1996
go online:
Balafon West African Dance Ensemble.
balafon.org
Africa for Kids
pbskids.org/africa/
Festival de Guinee
See colorful pictures from Guinea
(spelled “Guinee” in French)
africa-ata.org/guinea_picture_show6.htm
A terrace surrounds the upper level of the Kennedy Center, allowing visitors a view of Washington, DC and Virginia.
you, th e
audien c e
The performers in Unite! by Balafon
West African Dance Ensemble need
help from you, the audience. You are
an important part of the performance.
Being a member of an audience in
a theater is different from watching
a movie or television program.
The performers are in the same
room with you and are affected by
what you do. To do their best, the
performers need you to watch and
listen closely. The other members
of the audience also depend on
your quiet attention during the
performance so they can watch and
listen, too.
WATCH.
LISTEN.
THINK.
IMAGINE.
ENJOY UNITE!
BALAFON WEST
AFRICAN DANCE
ENSEMBLE!
8
visiting
the kennedy
center
The Kennedy Center is a living
memorial to John F. Kennedy, the
President of the United States from
1961 to 1963. As a living memorial,
the Kennedy Center is a place where
dance, music, and theater can be
experienced every day. There
are seven stages at the Kennedy
Center. Unite! by Balafon West
African Dance Ensemble, will be
performed in the Theater Lab.
When you enter the Kennedy
Center, you will walk into the Hall of
States where you will see the flags of
the 50 states, the District of Columbia,
and the five U.S. Territories. To get
to the Theater Lab, you will take an
elevator to the Roof Terrace Level, the
Kennedy Center’s top floor. A larger
banner, reading “Theater Lab” hangs
on the wall outside the theater. Inside,
an usher will direct you to your seat.
The Theater Lab does not have a curtain in front of the stage, so you will
be able to see the set for Unite!
Four hundred people can watch
a performance together in the
Theater Lab!
Les Percussions de Guinee
Learn more about percussion music in
Guinea
lespercussionsdeguinee.com/
Homemade: Stu’s Djunbasket
Learn to build an instrument like a djoun
djoun
rhythmweb.com/homemade/
djunbasket.htm
Stephen A. Schwarzman
Chairman
Michael M. Kaiser
President
Darrell M. Ayers
Vice President, Education
For more information about the performing arts and arts education, visit our
Web sites:
kennedy-center.org/education
artsedge.kennedy-center.org
unite! balafon
west african
dance ensemble
Cuesheet is funded in part through the
support of the U.S. Department of Education; the Kennedy Center Corporate
Fund; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation; the Carter and Melissa
Cafritz Charitable Trust; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Prince
Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and
Dr. Jan A. Stolwijk and The Hattie M.
Strong Foundation.
Cuesheet Editor: Peg Kolm
Writer: Richard Paske
Design: Cynthia Friedman
© 2005, The John F. Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts