Abstract
ABSTRACT Memoirs of studying with acclaimed dancer-choreographer Moustapha Bangoura in the Republic of Guinea, West Africa, illuminate the significant, yet unspoken role played by the djembefola (lead drummer) in teaching and learning dance. This portrait provides autobiographical and ethnographic insights, gained through attending Le Bagatae Dance and Drum, an international dance school in Conakry, Guinea, founded by Bangoura in 1993. Drawing on a two-decade long mentorship with Bangoura, this study provides dance educators with insights into how a dancer’s musicality is cultivated through the help of the djembefola. How this perspective is related to a decolonial dance pedagogical agenda is also articulated. The study describes the dance pedagogy I experienced as a collaborative process between Bangoura and musicians. The findings reveal that the drummers contribute content and pedagogical knowledge essential for dance learning.
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