Quick Chats: Maya Kadakia, Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble

The Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble will be performing before select performances ofThe African Company Presents Richard III. We talked with dance director Maya Kadakia and dancer Adrianne Hampton about the Limanya Druma and Dance ensemble and their performances at APT this season.

Under the direction of Mandjou Mara anad Maya Kadakia, the ensemble performs traditional music and dance from Guinea and Mali, West Africa. Incorporating song, dance, drum and theatre, their performances are high-energy entertainment for all audiences.

APT: Can you tell us about Limanya Drum & Dance Ensemble? How did it come to be?
Maya Kadakia: Mandjou and I started the ensemble in 2008 right after Mandjou came to the USA from Guinea. We met in Guinea while I was studying dance. We decided to create our own group after Mandjou arrived in the US.

APT: What do you primarily do as an ensemble?
Maya Kadakia: We perform traditional West African music and dance to celebrate Guinean culture and create connections among people. For these APT shows, we're performing with just a few members, Mandjou Mara, Maya Kadakia and Adrienne Hampton.

APT: Are there any connections between The African Company Presents Richard III and the ensemble?
Maya Kadakia: The character Papa Shakespeare is a griot in the play and he assists the community through his art and his advice. Mandjou is a real life griot from Guinea where he sang and drummed for countless individuals and groups to help them with their problems. Here in the US, he named his Afro-Pop group Kikeh Mato (mandjoumaradjembefola.com/kikeh_mato) which means "look at the moon" because he believes that the moon provides solace and insight for people. Through his drumming and singing, he hopes to serve the community, wherever he is, by providing inspiration, support and joy, just like the moon.

Adrianne Hampton:We love creating "disturbances" like the one described in the beginning of the play. One of my favorite things to see is a bunch of different people from different walks of life compelled to move by the pounding of the drums.

Our name Limanya means patience and courage. The actors in the African Company certainly displayed these attributes in their dealings with the Park Theatre, and the police!

APT: What is your favorite part of performing with the ensemble?
Maya Kadakia: This is Mandjou's culture and life and he wants to share it with the world. He likes to support other non-Guineans who study traditional arts by working with them in Limanya. I believe that the arts are a way to support creating a more respectful and just world. Art can connect varied groups of people through shared experiences and it can promote themes which celebrate diversity and respect.

Adrianne Hampton:Dancing with Limanya brings about a mind-body-spirit integration that rises to the level of awareness and is so accessible. There is rhythm in everything from seasons to how our guts move. Connecting to rhythm with the intensity that Limanya demands shows me who I really am.

For more information on Mandjou Mara, Maya Kadakia and the Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble, please visit mandjoumaradjembefola.com.

Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble APT Performance Schedule