Djibril Camara is from the Baga people, originally from Boke, Guinea in West Africa and spent his childhood dancing. He began his formal training at the National School in Guinea’s capital, Conakry. Djibril was a principal dancer and choreographer for the international touring company Ballet du Afrique Noir of Senegal, as well as Troupe Federale Conakry and Ballet Bougarabou for seventeen years, traversing Europe and Africa. Eventually his talent brought him to the United States for Ballet du Afrique’s presentation of the Mandika Epic on notable stages, such as New York City’s Kennedy Center. For the last six years he has shared the love of his culture and high energy traditional dance across the United States, choreographing, teaching, and performing.
In August 2007, Djibril moved to Champaign, Illinois to teach a course for the Dance Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Djibril Camara is also the lead dancer and choreographer for the Mara-Giri Ensemble in Champaign-Urbana, a community of dancers and drummers from the United States and Guinea who practice and study the musical traditions of West Africa.
Together, Djibril and Mara-Giri's goal is to encourage interest in and to share the knowledge and experience of West African people with the public through educational and entertaining outreach programs, performances, and classes. With continued cultural and artistic exchange, they work towards cultivating mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and Africa.
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