Documentation of part of a three-week trip to the interior of Guinea, made by Kemoko Sano and Hamidou Bagoura, respectively choreographer and technical director of Les Ballets Africains of the Republic of Guinea, in search of promising musicians and dancers who might be recruited for the company, and source material for new works. At each site they visited, they were received by local authorities, and watched local troupes. They are often glimpsed observing, recording, and occasionally taking part in the performances.
Reel 1 (ca. 60 min.). Procession and dancing by spear-bearers and three masked figures, one in a mirror-decorated costume, accompanied by drummers and singers -- Circumcision procession led by a flutist and a man in red -- Performance by boys in red and orange hooded masks, a masked figure, and other men whose actions suggest reaping and working the soil -- Line dance by children, led by two young women with gourd and shell instruments -- Procession led by an elder of the village ; dancing by a man in white, playing bells -- Song by a musician playing a stringed instrument, accompanied by men with whistles and rifles ; singing and clapping by women ; dancing by men with rifles.
Reel 2 (ca. 62 min.). Dances and songs by ensembles of women and girls, accompanied by djembe (drums) ; dancing by two little girls -- Masked dance by two boys, accompanied by a boy flutist ; music on various instruments, including drums, rattles, gourds (?) floating in tubs of water, and wind instruments made of animal horns decorated with feathers and fur. Singing by women ; circle dance performed by men and women -- Singing and dancing by two men, playing the bolon (stringed instrument) and a metal percussion instrument. Dancing by men with rifles and two figures in fur costumes, each leaning on two sticks, who seem to represent animals.
Reel 3 (ca. 28 min.). Continuation of the performance on cassette 2, accompanied by djembe. Kemoko Sano joins in the drumming -- Music on wind instruments, drums, and gourd rattles. Women and men take turns dancing with a flag; a boy dances with a gourd instrument.
Call number
*MGZIC 9-5071
Note
Title from information provided by Louise Bedichek.
Location, date, and time codes at lower left of frame.
Access (note)
Patrons can access streaming video files online only on site at the Library for the Performing Arts.
Event (note)
Videotaped on location in the prefecture of Mandiana, Guinea, on January 21-23, 1991 by Lamine Camara, a cameraman from Radio-Television of Guinea (RTG).
Title
Dance of Guinea. Préfecture de Mandiana [electronic resource]
Imprint
1991.
Country of producing entity
Guinea.
Event
Videotaped on location in the prefecture of Mandiana, Guinea, on January 21-23, 1991 by Lamine Camara, a cameraman from Radio-Television of Guinea (RTG).
Access
Patrons can access streaming video files online only on site at the Library for the Performing Arts.