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Kulu Mele African American 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 Slop. Performances and workshops vividly convey to audiences (and especially to young people) both the artistic excellence in their midst and the meanings of dancing and drumming in the African and African Diasporan societies from which these traditions come. Vibrant dances are always presented with authentic and compelling costumes; choreography is developed by company members, and by master dancers and choreographers from home countries. Kulu Mele had kept the culture alive...
Artistic Lineage and Mission
Kulu Mele is the fruit of many people's dreams. There is a strong felling of extended family among Kulu Mele members. Most of us have been keeping the culture, perpetuating African culture together, for many decades. We are committed to learning. Since our beginnings thirty years ago, Kulu Mele members have searched out unparalleled education in sacred drum and dance traditions from the Diaspora.
Workshops
Kulu Mele offers a wide range of workshops in African diasporan dance and music-from single session participatory programs and lecture-demonstrations to long-term residencies. We teach specific dances (along with rhythms and music), 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. As well, when working with young people we teach, from our own experiences, how to find and follow a dream and how to develop creativity and artistic potential. Kulu Mele members have been teaching in the Philadelphia Folklore Project's (PFP) Folk Arts and Multicultural Education program for six years. PFP helped Kulu Mele in funding residencies and performances: Some of these programs included PCA-AIE and Penn-PAT. These grant programs provided subsidies for Kulu Mele workshops and performances.
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, workships, and residencies based on our extensive repertoire, for audiences and participants of all ages.
Apprenticeships/Study Tours
To learn, preserve and continue this priceless community heritage of music and dance, Kulu Mele members have apprentices themselves to recognized masters and artists, traveling to study music and dance, and to become immersed in the cultures and traditions of Senegal, Guinea, Cuba, and elsewhere.
Apprenticeships and study tours include:
• Company Apprenticeship in Senegalese Dance with Assane Konte
• Company Apprenticeship in Guinea Dance with Tenefig Dioubate
• Yoruba Orisha Dance Apprenticeship in Cuba with Cutumba Dance Company
Company Apprenticeship in Guinea Dance with Youssouf Koumbassa and M'bemba Barngoura
Senegambia Dance Apprenticeship in Guinea, with M M'bemba Barngoura
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