Shirley Nana Sarpong Boateng. Born in Kumasi, Ghana, she is currently enrolled in the Diploma of Pharmacy Technician programme at Sheridan College. She wants to keep in touch with her roots/language, heritage, and learn about other ethnic groups. She enjoys meeting nice people. She danced with African United Dance Group based in Mississauga. At Erindale Secondary School, she danced hip hop, salsa, and step dance with her friends. She danced with many dance groups in Toronto. She learns and performs with Nutsifafa African Performance Ensemble, and ADE. Her hobbies are dancing, sewing, abstract and still-life paintings.

Rita Boateng. Born in Ghana, West Africa, the dances she saw people perform inspired her to learn more about the traditional dances of her country. As a York University student (Bachelor in Health Studies), she has had the opportunity to learn from Isaac Akrong and Professor Modesto Amegago to expand her knowledge of the various dances of Ghana. In 2002 she performed with GSAY Dance Group based at North York. She has also had the opportunity to perform with many dance groups in Toronto. She’s glad to be part of ADE and hopes to be a part of it for a long time. Her hobbies are cooking, soccer, dancing, and listening to music.

Mercedes D'Almeida

Mercedes is studying in the BFA Theatre program at York University. She is originally from Zimbabwe and has joined the African Dance Ensemble to explore traditional dance and music and strengthen her ties with Africa.

Trevor Forde, born in beautiful Barbados, a sunny island, is a Computer Engineering student at York University. I have a technical background that includes certificates in Electronics Engineering Technician and Wireless Telecommunication Technology.

However, my get-away is D-A-N-C-E  That's when my life becomes real and natural and F-U-N!I have never been in any form of dance group, but my love for music and dance steered my life along this destiny to be curious
and involve myself with many forms of dance and expression.

Throughout my life I have danced to many kinds of music from soca, reggae, latin, ballroom, line dancing, all the way to tap, breakdancing and hiphop.

I have tried all these dances at some point
and I am still up for some good dance fun if at a club or anywhere and some one is willing to lead the show... I am the one who would tend to join in. I am known to start the party sometimes too. My love for music has also led me to be curious about some instruments and I became excited about Afro-Cuban culture, so I am interested to learn the dances and musical instruments. I just love the music that comes
from all the instruments when I hear Afro-Cuban music. It brings me home when I am in this environment.

Darcel Frederick was born in St. Vincent, and raised in St. Kitts, Antigua and St. Lucia.  She started dancing at six years old and continues to explore Modern and African Dance.  She has completed summer programs at the Ailey School in New York and Jacob’s Pillow in Massachusetts. Currently she is completing a degree in Dance and Kinesiology at York University.

Ama Gyasi-Nimako holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from York University. She comes from the beautiful country of Ghana, West Africa. Being from a country that is filled with so much culture, history and arts has impacted her love for music and dance. As a member of ADE she has been able to embrace her culture by exploring various dances and music from the different regions of Ghana as well as West Africa. She is honoured to be part of ADE because it is a group that reflects the values of respect, unity and love by uniting people from various cultures around the world. She hopes you have been blessed by our vision.

Marie-Paule JeanGilles was born in Montreal, Canada. She is fluent in French, Creole and Spanish. She has studied various dance forms throughout the Caribbean, Middle Eastern and African Diaspora. She is currently completing a history degree at York University (Glendon College).

Tamiza Jetha is a passionate dancer who believes that dance and music are inseparable forms of emotional expression...that the body uses these modes as a catalyst to reveal to us what words cannot. Tamiza was born and raised in good ol' Calgary, Alberta. She is one of York University’s newest graduates, finishing with an Honors Major/Minor in Psychology and Dance in the Faculty of Arts, B.A. She now aspires to receive her Master’s in Physiotherapy and continues to dance to keep the burning passion in her heart aflame.  Tamiza has had the wonderful opportunity to work in the arts in various dance disciplines including African (with the fabulous Isaac Akrong), Persian (with the wonderful Sashar Zarif in Sashar Zarif Dance Theatre), Hip Hop, Jazz, and Modern. The central focus of Tamiza's artistic expression is to forever continue to move others and be moved by others.

Jin-Young Kang was born in Seoul, S. Korea. She studied piano performance during her undergraduate degree.  She is currently enrolled in the M.A. Composition programme at York University.

Glenn Norris Lau was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. He was raised in Markham, and yes, there is a difference.  He started to become interested in music and art in the middle of high school. He has played baritone sax for 5 years in jazz bands and classical bands, played flute and vocals for 2 years, studied popular singing for 3 years, and danced for 2 years.  Glenn’s main dance influences so far are Street jazz, pop, ballet, and hip hop. He is currently taking music at York.

Chris Mason has been drumming since the young age of ten. He has just returned from an eight month solo trip around the world, where he lived in the Bush and surfed the coasts of Australia, hiked the Himalayas of Kashmir and swam in the holy Ganges of India, ventured through the jungles of Malaysia, meditated at Buddhist temples in Thailand, and backpacked around Europe. Not only did he enrich himself with the many spiritual adventures this voyage entailed, but he also exposed himself to the musical diversity of the many cultures he visited. From improv performances at Australian pubs and leading spontaneous drum circle sessions on the beach, to studying Tablas with a guru in Rishikesh, India; performing for tourists with a djembe outside a Thai buddhist temple, and jamming with jazz musicians in a Dutch brown cafe, Chris enthusiastically made himself available for any and all opportunities to drum. He even took the time to sit down and play along with a homeless man on pots & pans in the streets of Melbourne, Australia!
Photographs from his pilgrimage can be seen on his website "Journey Around the World".

Chris is also ADE's webmaster, so if you would like a website like this, email: cmason@elementdesign.ca

D. Alex Meeks grew up with the elephants. Through his time with the gentle pachyderms, he developed an acute appreciation for the myriad sonic aspects of the world, the pursuit of the qualities of which drives his subsequent musical explorations.

D. Alex currently studies music as part of the improvisatory community at York University and performs with various groups, among them ADE and the Danger Music Ensemble. Percussion is his primary concern.

Ruth Nkrumah

Born in Montreal, Quebec, is currently attending York University double majoring in African Studies and French. In trying to keep in touch with her roots she joined ADE so that her
connection to her Ghanaian culture will remain
intact. Participation in ADE performances allows her to express herself artistically and physically, which she hopes will also inspire others to do so as well.

ADE is a group that is filled with love, respect and togetherness and she is proud to be apart of such an organization. Ruth's hobbies are reading, shopping, dancing and attending plays.

Paula Shupe was born in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island in British Colombia. She started dancing when she was five years old, and enjoys learning new dance styles to increase her repertoire of movement and explore different musics. She has completed her undergraduate degree in Anthropology, and is currently in the M.A. program in Ethnomusicology at York University.

Bert Smith has answered the call of the drum over twenty years ago. Originally from Jamaica, he was member of the Gayap Rhythm Drummers, a percussion group based in Toronto during the 1980s. In the 1990s he became interested in the relationship between drumming and dancing, so he joined many African drum and dance groups in Toronto. Recently, he became a member of the African Dance Ensemble (ADE), a dance company led by Isaac Akrong, where he hopes to continue to help with the promotion of African culture through drums, songs and dances.

Nina Soyfer was born in Vinnitza City, Ukraine. At the age of five years old, she started her music, dance, and art education. By fourteen years old she graduated from music secondary school, and gained professional dance experience. She performed in many professional dance ensembles in Ukraine; successfully participated in different competitions. Starting at just sixteen years old, Nina started choreographing and organizing dance compositions within the contemporary and Latin American Papyri styles.

Two years ago Nina arrived to Canada, and is currently a third year student at York University, in the Fine Arts Music Classical Piano Performance program. During this period, she continued choreographing, and composed an eastern dance for the "Russian Matreshka 2005" festival, and performed as a first dancer.

Nina enjoys stylizing a variety of ethnic dances of the world and creating new dance styles. She has studied Indian dance art, Israeli ancient dances, as well as Ukrainian, Russian, Latin American, Funk, Eastern, Contemporary, etc. With a great enthusiasm and joy, Nina is participating in ADE and learning more about African dance and music. She also has interest in the singing and drumming styles of Africa and the world.

Claudine Thomas was born in Grenada and loved dancing at a very young age. She danced to the sound of Steel Pan playing as a way to keep in shape. She came to Canada in the 1980s with her mother to further her education at York University. While at York, Claudine attended a workshop on African drumming and dancing and was captured by the beauty of it all. Claudine has been dancing African dance for many years with various groups. She strongly promotes the integrity and cultural tradition of Africa. She plans to learn more about African drum and dance so she can teach, educate, inspire, and unite people through this art form.

Sija Tsai was born in Winnipeg and grew up in rural Manitoba. In university she studied music, languages, and drama, and later spent a year overseas. She is currently working on her M.A. in Ethnomusicology at York University.

Leonard Williams. Playing the African Drums and other percussion are for me, very satisfying. Furthermore, to participate in African music and dance, and a multiplicity of other cultural expressions are some of the most certain ways to reconnect the severed connections of my African, ancestral consciousness.

Jana Zoric

Efua Ayanda Appiah is currently in her second year aspiring in the major of Sociology at York University. Born in Lesotho, South Africa, but lived and grew up in Ghana, Efua is one who does not want to forget her roots. With a rich background - her great grandfather from Dominica and her grandfather from the Gambia – she is always trying to discover more about herself and dance is a great way to do it. She is very pleased to be in the ADE family.

Isaac Akrong is an exceptional performer of traditional dance and drumming, Isaac Akrong hails from the Ga people of the coastal belt of Ghana. At an early age he was immersed in the traditions of his culture. His love of traditional music and arts led him to the University of Ghana, School of Performing Arts where he completed an undergraduate degree. Isaac was invited to join the Ghana Dance Ensemble of the Institute of African Studies, Legon; where he continued with his learning and love of traditional music performing a multitude of different cultural dances.

Isaac holds a Masters degree in dance from York University. He teaches African Music and dance at the Music Department at York University. He has been a guest performer with Kwasi Dunyo, Prof. Modesto Amegago, Prof. Robert Simms, Madagasca Slim, workshop with Mor Thiam, and many other groups worldwide.

Music Africa featured Isaac with traditional drummers in a concert performance, at the Royal Ontario Museum for African History Month celebrations in February 2003. During fall 2003 Isaac was a visiting artist in Dance at the Wesleyan University, Connecticut U.S. where he performed with Abraham Adzenyah and Helen Mensah in a student’s concert.

He has a strong commitment to sharing his knowledge of traditional dance and drumming with the world. As a serious student and researcher, Isaac is determined to see Ghanaian music and dance documented for future generations. 

"My goal is to propagate the message of African culture, and explain everything possible about it. I am building on the knowledge that exists so that people will understand African music and dance more."

Isaac is now pursuing a PhD in Ethnomusicology at York University Department of Music. His interests are in the ethnic music and dances (Ghana) as a window of the traditions and customs of a people. He believes that, as humans,

"We sing and dance through our lives on earth and beyond"