Maimouna Keita School of African Dance will host its 31st annual conference and concert on April 7-9 2023
The 31st anniversary conference and concert will be held in Brooklyn, New York. The three – day event will offer dance, music and cultural workshops facilitated by masters from Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Cuba and US contemporary, all who reside in the USA and in West Africa. In addition, an enthralling experience of traditional performance will be witnessed by a diverse audience with a commonality for the love of the arts.
Founder and Artistic Director, Marie Basse Wiles is a cultural icon of traditional dance music and culture. Shortly after moving to the USA, she made Brooklyn her home and began teaching the flavorful styles of dances in the African diaspora in the city and surrounding boroughs and the United States.
She has been a resident and an artist in the Bedford Stuyvesant community of New York state for over 30 years. As a Senegalese national artist, she is a former member of the National Ballet du Senegal, where she served as principal dancer extraordinaire for seven years. Basse Wiles ‘ international acclaim and US respect has taken her across the US and abroad to facilitate workshops, set choreography and train individuals and companies in detailed and specific African dance technique in various styles over the past 35 years. Her legacy lies in 31 years of hosting the Maimouna Keita School of African Dance International dance conference and concert throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The conference attracts hundreds of people from all over the world to partake in a three-day immersion of dance and music. Members of the MKSAD performing company rehearse over 20 weeks, twice a week to prepare for an authentic rich performance that depicts the traditional relevance of arts and its impact.
Marie has trained and encouraged several renown artists with New York residency to master the traditional artforms of the rich culture. In addition, she has hosted annual dance tours to her country with extended tour to Mali and Gambia and Guinea.
