The Steamboat Springs African Dance & Drum Ensemble welcomed Youssouf Koumbassa to our town for a week of workshops. Youssouf is one of the pre-eminent West African dance teachers and choreographers in the U.S.and a former dancer with Ballet Djoliba, the national company of Guinea.

Youssouf traveled to Steamboat with his wife Mariama Camara, formerly a principal dancer with the world-famous dance company Les Ballets Africains and master drummer Amara Mansare, considered one of the finest Guinean djembe drummers of his generation.

About Youssouf Koumbassa

Youssouf Koumbassa is a former artist of Ballet Djoliba, the National Ballet of Guinea. Born and raised in Guinea, West Africa, Youssouf began dancing at the age of six by studying and emulating the members of the National Ballet and the leading dancers of the many local and regional dance companies in Guinea. Youssouf's father is from the Landuma people and his mother from the Baga/Susu people.

In Guinea he studied under Sekouba Camara, Artistic director of Ballet National Djoliba and also with Kemoko Sano, the acclaimed Artistic Director of Les Ballets Africains, developing his talents as a dancer, musician and choreographer.

In thirteen years with the Ballet National, Youssouf traveled extensively throughout West Africa, Japan, Bangladesh, India, Holland, Hungary, Russia, Korea, Libya, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Since moving to the United States twenty two years ago Youssouf has established himself as the pre-eminent teacher of dance from Guinea, and now travels widely throughout the world as a much sought after master teacher at dance conferences, workshops, camps and schools. When at home in New York his classes are attended by a large and loyal following who are appreciative of his mercurial energy and grace.

In the 1990's Youssouf formed Les Ballets Bagata, comprised of sixty dancers and drummers. Performances by this company were spectacular mélanges of traditional culture and dance theater. Children of Bagata, a company he formed later, consisted of fifteen young dancers and musicians. Youssouf's mission has been and continues to be the exposure of the rich and varied cultures of Guinea to audiences around the world.

In his attempts to bring the energy, excitement and history of African dance to a wide audience, Youssouf is meticulous in acknowledging the source of this material and insists on a high level of understanding and respect for the form among his students. He travels to Guinea regularly, taking students on dance trips and returns to the United States with the latest developments in contemporary dance so that his teaching is always a mixture of traditional work and the dances that infuse popular culture.

In July 2007, Youssouf was invited to participate in Slow Dancing, a video installation featuring 43 contemporary dancers from a wide range of dance backgrounds. The installation featured three video streams projected on panels on the New York State Opera building in NYC. Dancers were filmed for 5 seconds and the artist David Michalek, slowed the footage down so that the five second sequence was played back over 10 minutes. The installation is touring nationally and internationally over the next three years and is featured at the 2008 Venice Biennale.

More about Amara Mansare

Amara Mansaré, born October 15, 1979, in Conakry, Republic of Guinea, West Africa, to a Malinke father, Mamady Mansaré and a Susu mother, Marie Sylla.  Amara is currently based out of Flagstaff, Arizona and is the lead djembe player and musical director of the dance company Kuma Tunyale.(meaning speak truth in the Susu language). Before coming to Arizona he was the the lead djembe player and chief percussionist of the dance company Ballet Sémbe (meaning strength in the Susu language), Amara is considered one of the best of his generation. 

Amara's father, Mamady Mansaré was a world-renowned flutist of the Guinea national dance companies Les Ballets Africains and Ballet Djoliba, as well as the famous jazz band Momo Wandel Soumah. Mamady Mansaré traveled throughout the world to promote Guinean arts and culture. Feeling a strong desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, Amara picked the djembe as his traditional instrument of choice when he was just five years old. He studied under some of the most famous djembe masters in Guinea, such as Moumoudy Keita of Les Percussions de Guinee, Baworo Keita of Les Ballets Africains, and the talented Kate Khàne.

As an adult, Amara has been the soloist and/or active member for many prominent dance companies in Guinea, including the legendary national companies Les Merveilles de Guinee, Ballet Djoliba, and Les Percussions de Guinee, before helping to create Ballet Sémbe in 1999.

Amara has traveled in and out of Guinea with Ballet Sémbe, performing at many national and international cultural festivals. In 2003, Amara traveled with his company to the Republic of Finland. For three months the troupe performed for many community events, universities, high schools, and elementary schools. During their tour, he also conducted djembe and dun-dun workshops for young students as well as professional artists. In 2004, Amara was hand selected as a solo artist to tour the Republic of France, teaching and performing. There, he played with some of the great African djembe and dance masters, including Mamady Keita, Aly Camara and the acclaimed dancer, Youssouf Koumbassa in Paris, Lyon, Lille, and Bordeaux.

In 2008, Amara came to the US and has been teaching, playing lead djembe for dance classes, and performing with the group Kuma Tunyale.