Artists & Projects Directory

• Cie Heddy Maalem
• Dan Hurlin
• David Roussève
• Emio Greco|PC
• Gregory Maqoma
• Kassys
• Marc Bamuthi Joseph
• Ralph Lemon
• Rha Goddess
• The America Project
• Yasuko Yokoshi

Cie Heddy Maalem

Rachelle Agbossou has performed with the Ballet National du Bénin and the Ori-Dance club company. She has performed all over Africa and in China. In addition to her work with Cie Heddy Maalem, she studies with several choreographers including Rokiya Kone of the Koteba Company, based in Côte d'Ivoire.

Koffitse Akakpo-Adzaku was born and trained in Lomé, Togo. In 2004 he performed in the Dance Meet Dance Festival (Lagos, Nigeria), then in the 5th Meeting for choreography in Africa (5^e Rencontres chorégraphiques de l'Afrique) with Motra Company of Togo. He completed his dance training with the choreographer Harold George, and moved to Burkina Faso in order to work with La Termitière CDC and Kongo Ba Teria in Ouagadougou.

Awoulath Alougbin has danced with choreographers Koffi Kôkô and Kettly Noël on international tours. She joined the Ballet National du Bénin in 2001, during which time she also participated in a course at Montpellier Danse.

Alou Cissé is originally from Mali. Cissé has worked with Serge Compardon, and has been dancing with Cie Heddy Maalem since 2002. He is also part of the permanent workshop of Kettly Noël in Bamako, Mali.

Dramane Diarra is originally from Mali. He has been dancing with Cie Heddy Maalem since 2001, and is part of the permanent workshop of Kettly Noël in Bamako, Mali.

Marie Diedhiou is originally from Sénégal. She has studied with many African choreographers, including Pierre Ndoumbe, Mariama Ngom, Fode Badji, Bertrant Saky Tchebe, Sandra Laye and Andreya Ouamba. She has also studied with international choreographers Fred Bendongue, Reggie Wilson, Esther M. Baker and Djibril Diallo.

Vincent Etagweyo has worked and performed both in Nigeria and abroad with numerous choreographers, including: Muyiwa Oshineke, Abel Utuedor, Adedayo Liadi, Anthony Odey, Opiyo Okach, and Heddy Maalem. He is a member of the Body Language Klinik, and a qualified member of the Dance Guild of Nigerian Dancers. He is also a solo dancer, and has presented his work in many dance theatres.

Amie Gomis is originally from Sénégal. She began dancing at a very young age with the Kakatar Company in Dakar. She studied African and contemporary dance with international choreographers including Reggie Wilson, Fred Bendongue, Namaina Ngom and Bertrand Stchebe. She joined Cie Heddy Maalem in 2004.

Marie Pierre Gomis is originally from Sénégal. She joined Cie Heddy Maalem in 2004 and has since toured throughout Europe and Africa with the company.

Simone Gomis is a highly ranked athlete from Sénégal. She studied in the first international dance course organized in 1997 by Germaine Acogny in Toubab Dialaw, Sénégal with teachers Suzanne Linke, Avi Kaiser and Abdou Mama Diouf. In 1999, she was invited to Montpellier, where she took master classes with Louise Burns. While studying she also accompanied the Ballet Bakalama on tour and joined the company 5ème Dimension.

Hardo Papa Salif Ka founded the ballet of the Centre Culturel de Diourbel in Sénégal. Since 1999, he has worked with several companies including Medinatoul and 5ème Dimension. He has attended workshops directed by Carlos Orta, Flora Théfaine and Germaine Acogny in the second annual international dance course in Toubab Dialaw.

Alberto Jacinto Nhabangue has studied dance with with Boyzie Cekwana, Deirdre Davids, David Zembrano, Mat Voorter, Gilles Jobin and he is also trained in theatre acting and works both as an actor and a dancer. In 2006 he joined the Kubilaï Khan Investigations Company (Gyrations of Barbarous Tribes), and joined Cie Heddy Maalem in 2008.

Kingsley Odiaka was born in Nigeria. In 2000 he attended a workshop organized by the Centre Culturel Français in Lagos. He performed in Danse Meet Dance festival in 2004, and was selected as one of the artists chosen for Chogom, an event organized by the British Council in Lagos to celebrate the Queen's visit to Nigeria. He performed at the first edition of Trufeasta, an annual solo festival in Nigeria organized by Ijodee Dance Center.

Qudus Aderemilekun Onikeku is a dancer, acrobat, actor, and writer choreographing in Lagos for over a decade. Yoruba tradition plays a role in his art. His solo Lost Face (2004) toured throughout Africa, Europe and the Caribbean. He also tours with Alajotas, as well as his recent project Do we Need Coca Cola to dance? Onikeku is currently a student of the National Higher School of Circus Arts (CNAC, in Châlons-en-Champagne, France), studying acro-dance.