"Joh" Sidi Mohamed Camara

Teaches at The Dance Complex

"Joh" Sidi Mohamed Camara www.JohOnLine.com (African Dance) Sidi Mohamed Camara, popularly known as " Joh, " was born in Bamako, Mali in West Africa. Surrounded by great artists and musicians as a child, Joh started traditional dance and drumming at the age of five. On his father's side, he comes from the Camara ancestry that ruled in Mande Society. However, he mastered the art of music and dance from his mother, Fanta Kamissoko, a well-known Jali. Jalis, also known as Griots, are highly venerated in their traditional society as skilled oral historians who are singers, storytellers, musicians, advisors, and mediators. Joh has participated in and founded a wide variety of traditional dance companies in his career, completing tours throughout West Africa. Under his guidance as Chief Choreographer, Troupe Mande and Troupe Sewa became among the most renowned and competitive troupes in the world of West African dance and drumming. Since relocating to the US in 1995, Joh has taught at: Brown, Princeton, Brandeis, University of Pennsylvania, Berklee School of Music, Washington University, Olympia (Washington State), and Boston Public Schools (elementary, middle, and high). Nationally, Sidi has presented at various museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. In addition to holding weekly classes in Boston and touring the United States, Canada, and France, Joh currently teaches at various community centers and instructs a semester dance and drumming class at Boston University and Harvard University. Through his willingness to share at national conferences, community workshops, and academic engagements, Sidi continues to enhance cross-cultural exchange and make a positive imprint on the fabric of cultural arts and education in America.