Diamano Coura West African Dance Company

Diamano Coura West African Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, instruction, and appreciation of West African music, dance, theater, and culture. This long-standing Oakland organization maintains a vibrant practice with weekly classes for youth and adults, local and international performances, and an annual four-day festival that celebrates the art and culture of the African diaspora. This grant to Diamano Coura West African Dance Company advances the Performing Arts Program’s Communities strategy.

Diamano Coura West African Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, instruction, and appreciation of West African music, dance, theater, and culture. This longstanding Oakland organization maintains a vibrant practice with more than 200 classes each year for youth and adults, local and international performances, and an annual four-day festival that celebrates the art and culture of the African diaspora. In 2017, artistic director Naomi Gedo Diouf was honored with the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

Diamano Coura West African Dance Company is dedicated to the preservation, instruction, and appreciation of West African music, art, dance, and culture. The forty-year-old organization reaches 12,000 people annually through its weekly classes for youth and adults, local and international performances, and annual four-day festival that celebrates the art and culture of the African diaspora. Renewed funding will support the continuation of programming and its goals to build its board and administrative infrastructure.