Afriky Lolo shares West African culture through traditional dance and song from countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Mali. Last week’s performance was hosted by the French program in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. (Photos by Valerie Furlong)

Century Room A in the Millennium Student Center reverberated with rhythmic drumming and energetic dancing as Afriky Lolo performed on March 11.

A crowd of about 30 University of Missouri–St. Louis faculty, staff and students as well as community members took in the dynamic experience as the local West African dance and drum company performed with passion and precision.

The performance was hosted by the French program in the Department of Language and Cultural Studies. Violaine White, associate teaching professor of French and the French program coordinator, said a community engagement grant from the College of Arts and Sciences and UMSL Global supported the event.

“We really want to show our appreciation,” White said. “We have students from Senegal, from Guinea, from Togo, from Côte d’Ivoire as well. It’s a way to show our appreciation for their culture. In our department, in our French program, one of the goals is to increase awareness of French-speaking cultures across the globe.”

Afriky Lolo, meaning African star, celebrates West African culture with local, national and international communities through traditional song and dance. The company includes 75 dancers, who range in age from 6 to 60, and eight drummers. It performs at community events throughout the year and also hosts classes, workshops and summer camps.

Diádié Bathily, the founder of Afriky Lolo, has traveled the world, performing with notable dance companies such as the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and the Broadway Dance Center, but he’s made St. Louis his home, in part because of UMSL. Bathily came to the U.S. from Côte d’Ivoire in 1998 to teach African dance as a visiting scholar at UMSL. After a successful stint teaching at the university, he founded the company in 2003.

Many of the dances performed by Afriky Lolo are initiation rights of passage, while others mark events such as a full moon or a seasonal harvest.

Bathily was on hand to walk the audience through some of the finer points of the performance last week. As artistic director of Afriky Lolo, Bathily choreographs, stages and costumes all performances. He also frequently travels to countries such as Côte d’Ivoire and Mali to research dances and to obtain authentic cloth, beads and masks.

Caph Guei, the musical director of Afriky Lolo, kicked off the show with pulsing drumming on a Djembe, the traditional West African hand drum carved out of hard wood in the shape of a goblet and tuned with ropes. Eventually, the rest of the drummers joined Guei, creating the signature syncopated, layered sound of West African music.

As the music swelled, two dancers moved down the aisle in the center of the room to join the fun with their energetic, rhythmic movements. The young women were clad in bright yellow patterned skirts and tops, and they were soon joined by more dancers costumed in deep red skirts with patterned trim.

Afriky Lolo members incorporate staffs into their movements during one dance.

After a hearty round of applause, Bathily stepped to the mic to educate the audience about what they had just seen.

“The first dance, you saw the two girls doing it, is called the Djansa,” Bathily explained. “Djansa is originally from Mali. Then you had the team join them, and they did the Manjani. The Manjani is from Guinea. It’s an initiation dance for young girls, and the first dance, Djansa, that’s a full moon dance and also for any big festivity in Mali. For Djansa, you have to be an amazing dancer.”

The company followed the Djansa and Manjani with a selection of other dances, including an initiation for young boys and girls and the Temate, a harvest dance.

“In general, the Temate, each step means something,” Bathily said. “After they explain the farming, they have improvisation. That’s where the people start to dance expressing themselves. So, Temate always starts with the meaningful farm work and then after that showing everybody how happy you are.”

Diádié Bathily directs audience members during and interactive portion of the performance.

The audience even had an opportunity to participate. Bathily brought the attendees to the front of the room, where they first got a feel for things by moving together in a circle. Then Bathily began giving directions to the crowd through call and response. He clapped, gestured and stepped, and the crowd responded each time, mimicking his movements.

By the finale, the crowd was buzzing, punctuating the performance with cheers.

“Afriky Lolo is quite an organization, so it’s really a privilege for everyone here in the UMSL community and in the St. Louis community to get to see such a performance for free,” White said. “We’re really thankful to be able to welcome them.”