ABOUT
WINDSHIP BOYD - manager, bookings, choreographer, dancer, percussionist
IBRAHIMA DIOUBATE - artistic director, Guinean djeli, percussionist, performer in the Yeli Ensemble
JEFF COFFIN - Artistic Consultant, lender of van
Africa Nashville was co-founded by WINDSHIP BOYD (dancer, choreographer, teacher, super-mom) &
JEFF COFFIN (saxophonist Dave Matthews Band, educator, 3x Grammy winner, member of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame).
AfricaNashville
Yeli Ensemble is an adaptable troupe of performers led by the Guinean master musician Ibrahima ‘Ibro’ Dioubate. Additionally, he is joined by local musicians and dancers as well as South African gumboots dancer & choreographer Michael Moloi and AfricaNashville co-founder Windship Boyd. The group is available for performances ranging from full length festival concerts to clinic-style lecture demos & workshops at schools, universities, and community centers in Nashville and beyond.
• IBRAHIMA ‘IBRO’ DIOUBATE •
Traditional West African Percussionist
(Guinea Conakry/Senegal)
Featured artist with AfricaNashville’s Yeli Ensemble, Ibrahima ‘Ibro’ Dioubate was raised as a Djeli (also called a griot) , a ‘living archive’ of the West African people’s traditions. He grew up in Conakry, Guinea’s capital city where he learned music from his family and community from birth as his parents had. Djelis are recognized as keepers of knowledge that has been passed down through countless generations. At the age of 14 he toured to Senegal with a troupe and decided to stay, becoming an immigrant at a very young age. Life was very difficult, but he persevered and became one of the finest djembefolas of his generation representing Guinea culture in Senegal. Invited by AfricaNashville in January 2023, Ibro is now based in Nashville. He has performed over 100 shows and participated in over 350 classes since his arrival and now represents Guinea culture in Tennessee.
• MICHAEL MOLOI •
South African Gumboot Dancer/Choreographer/Artist
(Katlehong/South Africa)
Choreographer, Art Director, Performing Artist and Designer Tumelo Michael Moloi was born in 1981 in the notorious apartheid-era township of Katlehong, south-east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Michael displayed an amazing talent for sports, arts and dance at a very young age. He began his dance career at age 16 as a member of the highly acclaimed South African dance company Via Katlehong. Michael and the dance troupe performed a mix of the street dance forms known as pantsula (South African town dance) and gumboot (mine workers). Other performances include 11 years of performing with the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, Asher residency and more. He also empowers and engages underserved youth in different communities in the US and around the world. He is currently part of the regular cast for “Shiners”, a recurring music and dance performance at the historic Woolworth Theatre in Nashville.
• WINDSHIP BOYD •
Franco-American Dancer/Choreographer/Drummer
(Nashville/Lyon)
Windship was born in France and raised in the US. She was a professional ballet and modern dancer then moved to France where created her company Itchy Feet and lived for 25 years. She was the choreographer in residence in her city Vaulx en Velin and choreographed for Lyon’s Biennale de la Danse for 7 seasons. During her time there, she also worked extensively in West Africa. Since she received a grant from UNESCO in 2004, she has toured, taught, choreographed and learned dances in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Guinea. Back in Nashville, she continues to exchange, create works and take people over to West Africa to discover dance and music. She co-founded AfricaNashville with the saxophone player Jeff Coffin. Today she manages the company, teaches and performs with them.
Percussion workshops, as well as individual or group West African percussion & dance lessons
are available by contacting AfricaNashville@gmail.com.
Jeff Coffin
Photo by Rodrigo Simas
Jeff Coffin is a globally celebrated saxophonist, composer, educator, and is recognized for his breathtakingly singable and enigmatic compositions, his searing improvisations, and his very unusual facial hair. He is a member of the legendary Dave Matthews Band, and you may also know him from his 14 year tenure, and 3 GRAMMY® Awards, with the genre-defying Bela Fleck & the Flecktones.
In October 2024, Dave Matthews Band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Jeff will be one of a handful musicians to attain this incredible musical honor!
Jeff is also a Yamaha Performing Artist & Clinician, a Boston Sax Shop Ambassador, teaches improvisation at the prestigious Vanderbilt University, authored numerous music books, authored a children’s book, produces, engineers, mixes, draws, and runs his own critically acclaimed record label, Ear Up Records.
“I've been waiting for something like this to happen in Nashville for over 30 years and I'm so excited to play a part in this project!” - Jeff
Testimonials
“The Yeli Ensemble and Windship Boyd provide an incredible and immersive experience, celebrating West African dance, drumming, and culture as a whole. Whether it is performing, teaching a master class, or holding a lecture or roundtable, they have a wealth of knowledge to share and our students and community members were excited and engaged to receive. In particular, it was such a joy to see young members of the African American community in Huntsville collaborating with the Yelis, and by extension, exploring their diasporic identity connecting to their African roots. Moreover, Windship Boyd is a skilled organizer who can adapt to all of your campus programming needs. The Yeli Ensemble will transform your campus life, community, and your students.”
- Dylan Baun, Associate Professor of History, University of Alabama in Huntsville
When I first discovered the Yeli Ensemble I was most impressed with the cultural significance of the instruments and the dance style. In contacting Windship Boyd, she was most helpful and helping create a program that would fit the needs of our school. The School of Creative and Performing Arts at Northwestern State University of Louisiana has a huge music program and a newly formed BFA in Dance. What worked out great was having the artist visit classes such as Rhythmic Analysis & Dance Accompaniment as well as the Percussion Studio Class. Besides classes the artists taught a master class in dance and later that same evening performed a lecture demonstration for the community to learn more about the artists and their culture. The student’s eyes lit up with joy and excitement. I haven’t seen the dancers have so much fun in a master class, they were all sweaty and smiling. The Yeli Ensemble created an amazing program for our students and faculty, and we will definitely be booking them again!
- Brett Alan Garfinkel, Chair Department of Theatre & Dance, Northwestern State University of Louisiana
(The HBCU) Tennessee State University has hosted several performances by the Yeli Ensemble, a remarkable group of top-notch world music artists presenting traditional dance and percussion music from West Africa. The AfricaNashville collaborative provided unfiltered access to the Yeli musicians, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of West African performing arts through performances, workshops, and individualized lessons. Balafon player Sory Diabate, along with the other Yeli members, engaged students in a challenging and exciting experience of immersive “deep learning” through hands-on emulation of intricate mallet patterns. As the roster of the Ensemble expands to include string instruments such as the kora, a staple of West African musical and oral histories, new possibilities open up for integrating indigenous knowledge into our formal music education programs. AfricaNashville is to be commended for bringing the Yeli artists into local communities, enhancing the richness as well as the international standing of Nashville’s music scene.
- Ljerka Rasmussen, Associate Professor of Music, Tennessee State University
I’m thankful for an organization like Africa Nashville. Providing unique groups like the Yeli Ensemble is a huge plus for Music City.
- Victor Wooten / bassist (Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, 5x Grammy Winner, Rolling Stone Mag. Top 10 Bassist of all time)
Photos provided by:
Cèline Combe, Michael Weintrob, Windship Boyd, Dani Vila, Jean Luc B, Rene Huemer