Amina Heckstall runs several performing arts companies that celebrate African culture and traditions. Ballet International Africans features dancers from various African countries and the diaspora. Awo Iyami Female Percussionists is a group of women musicians and dancers focused on reviving traditional drumming. Modupue Kidz teaches dance, music, and culture to at-risk youth. Aminazim/Emotions Danced uses modern dance to express emotions and humanity. Amina has 28 years experience as a dancer, teacher, and producer seeking to preserve traditions for future generations.
2. BALLET INTERNATIONAL AFRICANS! Ballet International Africans is the reflection of Amina Heckstall's dedication to the cultural arts and love for the culture of West Africa. Within this company she not only has African American artists dancing, drumming, singing, and sharing through griot traditions, but also artists from Guinea, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Trinidad, and Jamaica all performing together for a common cause; to preserve and honor the traditions of their ancestors and embrace the innovations in cultural arts of todays generations.
3. Awo Iyami Female Percussionists are a blend of female musicians, dancers, and singers that have a goal to re-instate the traditional drumming of the first drummers; women. They play djembe, dundun, kinkinney, cow bell, shakere, balafon, and are studying the kora and water drumming traditions of griots and females in Ghana. They inspire girls everywhere! AWO IYAMI FEMALE PERCUSSIONISTS
4. Modupue Kidz are children performers who have been nurtured and taught by the artists of B.I.A. the umbrella company to Modupue Kidz. These children ages 1 to 16 are taught not only the dances, music, songs, and folklore of the African Diaspora, but they must also learn the instruments, about the regions they perform traditions from, various languages for song comprehension, healthy eating/ nutrition, and hygiene. The group specifically caters to at-risk youth, foster system, group home children, and those diagnosed with ADD, ADHD and are on medications. Modupue fights to remove medications and environmental obstacles from the lives of these children so they all have a fair chance in this world. MODUPUE KIDZ PERF.ARTS ENSEMBLE
5. AMINAIZM/ Emotions Danced AMINAIZM/ Emotions Danced is Amina's outlet for her creativity and training in modern dance and jazz dancestyles and all are reflected in her work through this company. She combines African movements with Graham, Dunham, Duncan, and Horton techniques. Her style is very contemporary and involves drama, monologue, poetry, live singing, and lyrical music. The goal of these dancers is to create a full theatrical experience for the audience to get in touch with their own emotions and experiences, in relation to those of humanity in general.
6. MS. AMINA OLUSHOLA HECKSTALL Amina Heckstall is a dancer with 28 years of experience as a performer, student, teacher, choreographer, and producer of conferences and concerts. She is available for workshops, conferences, college dance programs, public school lecture demos, and any cultural arts events. Her purpose is to preserve the traditions and make sure that they can be maintained through the next generation of artists. Amina is an energetic, beautiful dancer/ drummer, a patient, creative teacher and choreographer, as well as a humble being in general.
7. To Book or Contact for more info: [email_address] www.Balletintlafricans.com www.myspace.com/Balletintlafricans www.myspace.com/ModupueKidz www.myspace.com/AMINAIZM