Pedagogi – Baobab

KRISTA

sandi — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 14:35:12 +0000

Krista has started her dance experience with Mojca Horvat, where she performed for 10 years and competed in show dance in large formations. Then she moved to Latin waters, where she met salsa and reggaeton. Krista is the founder of the first women salsa & reggaeton dance groups in Slovenia, called MENEO dance group. The group was the first one in Slovenia and is led by the dance genre called reggaeton. With her pedagogical work she has influenced on several pupils who have later successfully taught salsa and reggaeton in Slovenia and Croatia.
She is co-author of the first scientific article on salsa, which was released in two languages: Dance as communication: cultural and social aspects of salsa in Slovenian (Maruša Pušnik and Kristina Sicherl, Kaleidoscope sport – Introduction to Sport Studies, 2009). In 2011, Ljubljana dancers presented a dance genre kizomba, which is becoming increasingly popular. She is a member of the dance group Baobab, led by recognized dancer and teacher Maša Kagao Knez specializing in African dances and Afro-contemporary dance. Krista regularly educates in Slovenia and abroad. She is currently teaching salsa, reggaeton and kizombo while participating in various events as an entertainer or a teacher.

In Studio Baobab she teaches Afropulz and Reggaeton.

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LEA MENARD

sandi — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 14:48:58 +0000

Lea Menard is an actress, dancer, filmmaker and puppet animator. For many years she worked in KUD France Prešeren as a member of theatre group BUBE. She co-created numerous dance and theater performances by Nataša Tovirac (PTL), Maša Kagao Knez, Barbara Novakovič and others. In the 2007/2008 season she was as an actress – animator employed in Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. Since 2008 she works as a freelencer in various fields. She directed 3 puppet shows which are played all around Slovenia. As an entertainer she participate in children’s events and festivals.

From ballet, modern and contemporary dance Lea stopped at African dances. In Studio Baobab in Ljubljana she teaches regular African dance music classes for children.

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DAMIR MAZREK

sandi — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:02:19 +0000

Damir Mazrek is an independent artist who started his musical journey in 1996 in Nino Mureškič’s workshops where he learned about percussion instruments and rhythms of Western Africa and the Balkans. He continued his path and learning by exploring the varied percussionist cultures of the world. He has studied with acclaimed musical masters in various percussion and musical workshops at home and abroad. He has also attended various musical campuses and participated in individual research projects. On his learning path and in his studies in Spain, France, the Netherlands, FYR Macedonia, Serbia, etc., he encountered masters, such as pt. Suresh Talwalkar, Hakim Ludin, Carlo Rizo, Jathinder Thakur, Kevin Jones, Dragan Dautovski, Bajsa Arifovska, Milaim Destanovski, Gyan Siing, Maxwell Wright, Thomas Guei, Kachito, Antonio Reyes, Oskar Porina, Čerim Haliti, Kevin Jones, etc. He also attended seminars at the Georges Momboy school, (Paris, France), the Amor de Dios school (Madrid, Spain), school for traditional Macedonian instruments (Skopje, FYR Macedonia) and several other seminars. He has acquired knowledge about the wealthy heritage of the Western African polyrhythmic traditional forms of Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. In Spain he explored the rich rhythmic culture and structure of flamenco, which represents an important branch in the world of percussions. In the Balkans he explored original uneven rhythms that are specific to the region and unique in the field of rhythm.

He is particularly active as an accompanying musician in dance performances, for in addition to flamenco he also accompanies African, Oriental and modern dance and performances for children. He is participating in numerous projects and is an active member of several musical groups that are regularly creating and performing music. He has also cooperated with dancers in dance shows and performances.

He is a head leader of music production Inspiral

He is a member and co-author in the following musical groups: Cana Flamenca, Dazhbog Ensemble, Essauira Project, Kaneo trio, Afir Bafir, Lafi, Trio Puro, Sekou Kouyate Experience, Kandia Kora SIGN and his latest project Hermelogic.

He cooperated in important projects such as: Rtv Big band, The Fool Cool Jazz Orchestra, Carmina slovenica Drum Cafe, Nino Manas, Kurkuma, Pan Gea, Terafolk, Ensemble 4. Saxes, Igor Bezget Global Comunity, Igor Bezget Pangea – Free the world

Sound recording: Igor Bezget – Pangea, Dazhbog Ensemble- Sotočja, Ensemble 4 saxes – Suita quasi balkanika, Cana flamenca, Essauira Project, Sekou Kouyate Experience, World Happiness Orchestra, Igor Bezget Pangea – Free the world

He worked with important artists such as: Vlatko Stefanovski (MAK), Simeone Zanchini (IT), Howard Curtis (USA), Izidor Leitinger (SLO), Gyan Sing (INDIA), Sharat Shrivastava (INDIA), Bajsa Arifovska (MAK), Ratko Dautovski (MAK), Sekou Kouyate (GUINEA), Kandia Kouyate ( GUINEA), Sory Diabate, Nino Mureškič (SLO), Matjaž Stošič (SLO), Jure Pukl (SLO), Guenter Meinhart (AUT), Mihael Parushev (MAK), Alex Rogers (USA), Igor Bezget (SLO), Igor Leonardi ( SLO), Karmina Šilec (SLO), Vasko Atanasovski (SLO), Janez Dovč (SLO), Bojan Cvetrežnik(SLO), Goran Bojčevski (MAK), Boštjan Gombač (SLO), Dejan Berden (SLO), Sebastjan Duh (SLO), Cene Resnik (SLO), Igor Lumpret (SLO), Nestor Kuame (COTE D”IVORY), Maša Kago Knez (SLO), Mojca Kasjak (SLO), Barbara Plečko Obrčkal (SLO), Luske Sytze Jan (NETHERLANDS), Fred Lasser (GUADELOUPE)

He conducts percussion workshops and workshops for children.

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ISSIAKA SANOU

sandi — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:42:21 +0000

Issiaka Sanou is a percussionist from Burkina Faso. He has been gaining his drumming knowledge with world known African musicians from when he was a child. He played with bands Dioulasso Ba Percussion and Djeliya. The latter played numerous concerts all over Burkina Faso and in 2000 performed in an international festival in Germany and at the National Week of Culture in Burkina Faso. He also worked with acknowledged masters of traditional African rhytms such as Adama Dramé, Zoumana Dembélé, Seydou Dao, Harouna Dembélé and others.

In 2008 Issiaka moved to Slovenia. Since, he has been actively involved with Baobab Society for Culture and Arts as a musician, co-author of several projects, drumming classes’ teacher and musical coach for African dance classes and Baobab Dance Company.

Issiaka worked with Igor Leonardi, Matjaž Stošič, Damir Mazrek and numerous other musicians and each year takes various projects to Baofest, Lent and Trnfest festivals.

He is the creative director of Farafinslo percussion band with whom he performs all across Slovenia.

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URŠA RUPNIK

sandi — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:38:30 +0000

Urša Rupnik is B.Sc. in Culturology and B.A. in Dance and Choreography. Her dance educations also comes from several modern and contemporary dance workshops taken around the Europe and taught by many different teachers (eg Joe Alegado, Risa Steinberg, Corine Lanselle, Joan van der Mast etc.). As a guest she was dancing in Slovenian National Theatre Drama Ljubljana, she is performing in Magic Theatre Serpentes shows (Slovenia, Croatia, France, Germany etc.); she collaborates with other Slovenian artists (Jasna Knez, Maša Kagao Knez, Matjaž Farič) and performs regularly. Since 2008 she works as an assistant of American dancer, choreographer and pedagogue Joe Alegado, since 2010 she is also a member of his international dance company Jalegado Dance Company (Solo for Four, At the Brink etc.), based in Prague, Czech Republic. Besides she is a member of Studio of Free Dance Style in Ljubljana, where she teaches modern and contemporary dance classes, is artistic director of studio’s company and creates her dance projects.

Connections:

Studio za svobodni ples: http://www.svobodni-ples.si/

Jalegado Dance Company: http://joealegado.com/dancers.html

Upor: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=LXODh7lQBHQ

Češnja: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bThPCdVp25o

The Body in Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCNwW5vTDqg

Ekvilibrij VIII: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3LExf60Ek

ImPulsTanz 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z0Qj5FOhZg

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DALANDA DIALLO

sandi — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 09:20:04 +0000

Dalanda Diallo is a co-founder of Baobab Society, leader of Sankofa choir, dancer and dance teacher.

She trained as a dancer at Intakt Dance Studio, Dance Theatre Ljubljana and through several workshops of contemporary and traditional African dance in Slovenia and abroad. She has worked with a wide range of Slovenian and foreign dancers and choreographers (Tanja Skok, Matjaž Farič, Matej Kejžar, Bara Kolenc, Faustin Lyniekulla, Elena de Vega, Mihael Ruegg, Maša Kagao Knez).

Dalanda Diallo teaches the advanced class of African dance at Baobab Studio in Ljubljana and at Plesna izba in Maribor. She performs in various projects produced by Baobab Society: children’s show A Visit to an African Village, Red Earth, concerts of Sankofa choir, a dance and musical performance Dia Diasso Diasspora, musical Sunlighting and others. As a producer she works for the project ISAK* (Expressive World of African Culture), which runs various dance and musical education programmes for African immigrants and their descendants in Slovenia.

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MAŠA KAGAO KNEZ

sandi — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:59:54 +0000

Maša Kagao Knez works as a dancer, choreographer and theatre practitioner. She first came into contact with the performing arts as a child through the work of her mother, Jasna Knez, a dancer and choreographer herself. Maša was educated by various international teachers both in Slovenia and abroad and graduated in 2006 from Georges Momboye school for African traditonal and contemporary dance in Paris. In 2013 she graduated from Academy of dance in Ljubljana.

She has worked with leading Slovenian and international dance and theatre practitioners. As a dancer, actress and choreographer, she has worked in both big producing theatres as well as independent companies. As one of the founder members of the Arts and Culture Association Baobab (founded in 2009), she continues to spread the West-African culture by teaching African dances in the premises of Studio Baobab in Ljubljana.

Simultaneously, she continues to create dance pieces of various genres and cast sizes, most recently: Dia Diasso Diasspora (2013), quartet piece Nameščeni / Placed (2011), two-part solo piece Rojena zunaj svoje vasi, 1978 / Born Outside Her Village, 1978 (2010–2011), musical Delo na belo / Sunlighting (2011), children’s show A Visit to an African Village (2009), Moi, Toi, Nous (2009), Moja boljša polovica? / My better half? (2007), as well as shows which combine dance and music inspired by African dance and musical tradition: Birigaydi (2006), Abondan (2007), Ole- Eba (2008), , Kratke zgodbe / Short Stories (2011), Stopinje / Footsteps (2012).

In 2013 she received Ksenija Hribar award for the dancer.

In Studio Baobab she’ s teaching: African dance course, afro – contemporary dance course

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