Sidiki Conde

Location: New York, NY

Challenge: Polio / Paralysis

Website: www.sidikiconde.com

p>The Call to sing and dance first came to Sidiki Conde in a dream he had after he lost the use of his legs when he was fourteen.

Sidiki Conde was born in 1961, in Guinea, West Africa. At age fourteen, polio left him almost completely paralyzed. Sent to live with his grandfather in a village deep in the forest, Sidiki learned to manage his disability, building his upper-body strength so that he could walk on his hands. When faced with the dilemma of dancing in a coming of age ceremony, he reconstructed the traditional steps by dancing on his hands instead of his feet.

Sidiki says "My birth roughly coincides with Guinea's independence from French colonization, and I came of age artistically in a country whose president, Sekou Toure, considered culture to be its greatest national resource. The national dance and music ensembles rehearsed in the presidential palace.

During this time and at the behest of Toure, myself and other artists traveled to remote villages to learn the songs and dances of Guinea's 26 different ethnic groups in order to preserve and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Guinea and unite the country. I became a master ethnographer in addition to a master artist."

Sidiki's music derives from the traditional rhythms of Guinea. Harmony is created by a series of melodic rhythms that are played by each of the instruments (kora, balafon and traditional drums). In his musical process he sings each instrument's particular melody to his musicians. He says "The chords are formed by the unique melding of the instruments when they are played together. In keeping with the West African griot traditions of my homeland the lyrics are my own compositions within which I chronicle my life's journey. In cultures where very few can read or write histories are passed by word of mouth from generation to generation. African traditional music is a living art form; it speaks of present conditions. Music is never a solitary action for me. Music has always been about bringing together people and creating communities"

Sidiki lost the use of his legs when he was fourteen. He adds "Being disabled was devastating because in Guinea people with disabilities are thought to bring shame and bad luck upon their family and village. To protect the larger group, disabled people are sent away from their homes, cut off from the ritual and daily lives of the community. My case was no different. After my paralysis, I was taken out of school and sent to live in my grandfather's village deep in the forest. After several years in the village, the time came for the coming-of-age ceremony when the young men dance the traditional steps into manhood."

Instead of accepting a life of dragging his body through the dust-filled streets of Guinea, he found a forest clearing and taught himself to dance on his hands. He then surprised his village by participating in the rite-of-passage dance ceremony, changing the way his people view those labeled as disabled.

He says "I knew if I did not participate in this ceremony ~ if I did not dance ~ I would forever remain separate and cut off from my community. I reconstructed the traditional steps dancing on my hands instead of my feet. I found a way of moving that was true to the traditional rhythms and steps while also being true to the capacities of my body. I sang and danced at the coming-of-age ceremony and reconnected with my community and my culture. I continue dancing and singing to reaffirm that connection."

Sidiki Conde has performed with West Africa's premier music and dance ensembles, including the prestigious Les Merveilles de Guinea, which he joined in 1987.

Merveilles founder, Kemoko Sano, trained Sidiki in the traditional music and dance of the company's repertoire. He performed as a soloist in the troupe. Receiving the post of rehearsal master in 1988, Sidiki also composed and directed the company's musical arrangements.

In 1998, Conde’s music brought him to the United States, and he founded the Tokounou All-Abilities Dance and Music Ensemble the next year. In the United States, he has continued to perform and teach, instructing people of all abilities in schools, hospitals and universities, and has served as artist in residence at a Bronx public school for children with multiple disabilities. In 2000, he hand-cycled across the United States for 22 days as part of World TEAM (The Exceptional Athlete Matters).

Today Conde lives in New York City with his wife Deborah Ross, a wildlife watercolorist. He tours with his company, Tokounou, to schools and colleges around the United States and teaches workshops at schools in New York City, including the Djoniba School and the Manhattan School for Children. In working with students, Sidiki emphasizes that dance transcends any disability. Tapping his chest, he says that the dance comes from inside. Music and dance, he says, saved him from a precarious existence. "It made me feel good", he told The New York Times. "I want people to use me. I want to do something. I’m fine for working".

In 2007, Sidiki was named a National Endowment of the Arts Heritage Fellow.

He may also be the only paraplegic in New York City living in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment. Before Sidiki's paralysis, he had not been musical. He got where he is today by the same force of will that powers him up five flights of stairs—he practiced constantly, at one point learned to play rhythms with rocks tied to his hands and wrists, and performed for several hours a day without stopping. As the music producer Roger Greenawalt put it, Sidiki's "life force is considerable".

Sidiki Conde - "You Don't Need Feet to Dance"