KUKU SENEGAL DANCE NDEYE FATOU

In my drum class we are learning to play the rhythm known as "Kuku." It is a very fast dance, as you can see. Notice the "conversation" between the lead djembe and the dancer.

Kuku is from the forest region in northeast Guinea, and is associated with the Manian ethnic group. It was originally played when the women returned from fishing. They would take their fishing nets and use them in the dance. You can see above how the dance incorporates movements that resemble one casting and pulling in a net. Today Kuku is a popular rhythm that is played at all kinds of festivals and events.

Information gleaned from Mamady Keita's "A Life for the Djembe-Traditional Rhythms of the Malinke."