U11-Dance-A3-Discovery Journal Kentuckians in Dance

Harina Churn-Diallo

African Dancer/Artistic Director

Imani Dance and Drum Company Louisville, Kentucky

 

Harina Churn-Diallo grew-up in Louisville, Kentucky. She lived in Park Hill housing project and studied dance. She attended college at the University of Louisville and has degrees in Pan-African studies as well as cultural anthropology. She has studied and performed all around the world in places like Paris, Japan, and Africa. She is an African dance performer and teacher of tap, ballet, clog, Native American, salsa, jazz, and belly dancing. She has choreographed theatre in Louisville and Chicago. She teaches African Dance at University of Louisville. Harina and her husband Yaya Diallo (a world renowned African drumming expert) own the Imani Dance and Drum Company where they teach dance and drumming. She decide to come back to Louisville after traveling and performing world-wide because she recognized the importance of teaching self-confidence and self-worth to African-American children and adults as well as helping others to have a greater appreciation and respect for the polyrhythmic sounds of Africa and the African culture.  In fact, Harina made this statement which basically describes her mission in life “Get a passport and travel the world, so you can bring to your dance company a world base, not this little-bitty myopic view about culture. Music has been a tool of communication for thousands of years. You don't have to be the best dancer in the world. You have to be able to give to your students this knowledge that you have that makes them want to get more knowledge, to understand that their bodies are works in progress. You add sound and props to help give light to your dancers. We're like the light bulb as artistic director. How you get there is on the dancers themselves.”