African Dance
Marilyn Sylla is a Five College Dance Lecturer based at Smith College. She directs the Bamidele Dancers & Drummers, a group dedicated to the preservation of African-rooted cultures through dance, music, and song. In West Africa, her work has taken her to Guinée, Senegal, The Gambia, the Casamance and Ivory Coast. Sylla has also worked in Brazil, Haiti, and Puerto Rico, as well as in many venues throughout the United States to teach, perform, and set dances. Sylla is in her third year as Director of Immigrant Voices: A Celebration of Arts, a concert that showcases the talents of immigrants in Massachusetts.
Sekou Sylla is a former principal dancer, acrobat, and musician with Les Ballets Africains, the national dance company of the Republic of Guinée in West Africa. Sylla has taught and performed throughout Africa, Europe, Canada, South America, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the United States. He teaches African Drumming for Dancers at Mount Holyoke College and drums for African dance classes at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, and the University of Massachusetts. He co-directs the Bamidele Dancers & Drummers with Marilyn Sylla. Learn more about the Bamidele Dancers & Drummers.