#fatouseck primus

[fatouseckcreates]

Photographed and edited by Konate Primus

My brother and I took these photos March 15, 2017, my Grandma Flossie’s 93rd birthday. I was just a few months fresh from my 2016 trip, still feeling like my heart was in Senegal. 

[5footfatey]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STsBMbn5BwU)

[fatouseckcreates]

The Sunday before last was Mother’s Day, and a few weeks before that was the passing of my grandmother, Flossie Primus. I’ll remember most for her l legacy of kindness, wit, and humor. And though we’ve already celebrated as a family both the life of my granny, and the awesomeness that is my own mother, Myrtle Primus-King, I would like to share with you some words about these lovely black women! Black mamas possess a magic that is as unyielding as it is boundless. I learned this from my mom, both of my grandmothers, as well as my aunts, and all the women in my life who’ve ever nurtured, protected and guided me.

Our moms are our superheroes, our friends, our inspirations, our teachers, the matriarchs of our bloodlines, the women who carry our stories and our traditions in their DNA. Constantly, they sacrifice for us, simultaneously building up themselves and their children. The older I get the harder I realize it is not just to be an adult but to be a parent, a mother. All I can do is think wow, you did that for me?? For all of us??

From our mothers we learn how to love ourselves and others, we learn how to be affectionate how to sustain ourselves. In our mothers eyes, we begin to realize who we are and who we want to be in the world, and a mothers love makes all the difference.

Granted every mother-child relationship is not always peaches and cream, but nothing is more gratifying than making your mother proud. One of the best things about coming home from Senegal, is I could tell how proud she and my father were. Where I was starting to feel pressured like I still have something to prove to myself and to others I could breathe a little easier because I understood that even though she has always pushing me towards success, she was proud of what I had done.

I’m thankful for my mom. I’m glad that people see her when they see me. I’m happy to continue learning from her, even when I’m being stubborn and just want to do my own thing, because I have something to prove. I’m happy for my Grandma Ann, and my Grandma Flossie because they too were remarkable women who gave life and unconditional love to my two parents. I’m happy for the mark they left on their children, which their children have left on me. I’m happy for my Tanties. I’m happy for my friends who’ve recently become mothers! Your love is healing, nurturing, and life affirming. We appreciate you!

[fatouseckcreates]

Last month I had the honor of performing with Bokandeye African American Dance Theater at the New Rochelle Public Library. They held a celebration of great African Americans artists who were residents of New Rochelle. When I heard that I personally would have the chance to pay homage to my great aunt, Pearl Primus, I was speechless. At the same time knew it was another moment I had been dreaming up in my mind. We performed Funga, a dance Mama Pearl (as she’s lovingly called in the African dance community) brought back with her from her studies in Nigeria, along with the legendary pioneer of African drum in America Babatunde Olatunji. 

Funga was one of the many iconic dances she is known for today, among them Strange Fruit, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, and so on and so on. But what made Funga special is she travelled to Nigeria, and she brought it back or all of us. She went to Liberia, she went to Senegal and to ivory coast and Zaire and Angola and she allowed herself to be a vessel. She took everything she learned and came back because we, Black Americans were dying to reconnect with our history as Africans. She travelled across the United States and the world and used her voice as an artist to forge the memoirs of forgotten and underrepresented people. 

This is a woman I've never physically met, but I see myself in her. I see my mother in her. I see my potential; everything great that she is and has done is a building block for me, so me getting to her level is only a start.  When i was about 11, one of the dance teachers at my school, Mr. Mamadou Dahoue, told me that his grandfather was a phenomenal dancer, but his father, was even more skilled than his grandfather. So he decided he had to be even better than his father. He told me I was a talented dancer. And that as good as I was, and as amazing as my mother was, I have to be even better than her one day. At 11 my understanding of this platform concept was marginal at best. Today this same concept moves me tears almost. I come from so much greatness and everyday I'm given an opportunity to build on top of that, to explore further and go beyond. What my parents have given me, what my ancestors have given  me, is amazing and I thank God for giving me this family, encoding this story deep in my dna, and giving me the courage to tell it. Because sometimes that’s all it comes down to. Are you going to tell your story or not? 

In Rufisque, they called me Adji Fatou, after my namesake. Mame Adji Fatou Seck. Adji being the title for a woman who has made the pilgrimage, or hajj as a muslim. In many ways, going to Rufisque was my hajj. In Nigeria, when Pearl Primus came to study, they dubbed her Omowale, meaning Child returned home in Yoruba. Similarities like this let me know that we share the same spirit. As an artist, there are so many times when I feel this massive pressure to succeed and to produce greatness; I’m not always sure exactly how to go about it. Its moments like these when I’m reminded that I can stop worrying so much because greatness is already coursing through my blood.

My dreams, my story doesn't end with one successful trip to Senegal. This is only the beginning. As I claw my way through the fog that is my perpetual misunderstanding of all things organizational and business oriented, I still know that I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to do. I look at Pearl Primus, and even the way people say her name fills me with so much pride, its humbling. To have been given the chance to represent Mama Pearl Primus and all that she has done for the culture, was a tremendous honor. One I hope I get to do again soon. 

[fatouseckcreates]

Waaxtan ak Pape Moussa Sonko 

Translated by Abdou Dieng

This year as I mentioned I had the opportunity to work with Bouly Sonko and Pape Moussa Sonko and his group Wato Sita. It was a tremendous experience and I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow with such dynamic artists. Towards my last week in Dakar, I interviewed Pape Moussa, son of Bouly Sonko, artistic directer of Wato Sita, and current member of the National Ballet of Senegal. Many people know him from touring with world renowned Mbalax singer Youssou N’dour for upwards of 10 years. You can spot him and members of Wato Sita in almost any Mbalax video from my favorite artists Aida Samb and Pape Diouf to Viviane Chidid and Queen Biz.

How old are you? When did you first start dancing/choreographing? Artistic directing? Im thirty-seven years old. I was born into a family of dancers, so I’ve been dancing since childhood, all my life. I started dancing professionally in Germany in 2004 I was invited by George Momboye from Ivory Coast to be apart of his group AfrikaAfrika.

You’ve had a lot of performances with the National Ballet, and with Wato Sita. What is your most memorable performance with Wato Sita? My most memorable performance was the tribute we did to Mame Bouly last year at the Sorano. We danced Seruba, Serer and Balanta. I also enjoyed doing BAM Dance Africa.  

How is this group similar or different in your opinion the national ballet directed by your father Bouly Sonko? The national ballet is traditional, but here we have freedom to do whatever we want. We have modern and traditional.

You’re very of welcoming new artists to train and learn with you. What do you look for in a dancer, or musician that lets you know they are serious about working here? You have to show that you like what I am teaching, and that you have respect for the leaders, myself, Mame Bouly.  You come to rehearsal on time, and you have discipline. Then I will know who’s serious.

Every good artist goes through some sort of evolution or growth. How does Wato Sita shape young artists, and help them to grow? Wato Sita is different from many other companies because what you see here is the dedication of these artists. Mame Bouly was the director of the National Ballet for 31 years, so we have an element of the national ballet. I’m also a dancer with Youssou N’dour, Baye Mboup, our lead drummer is also also a main drummer with the National Ballet. We have a different level of talent.

With every generation we see styles, nuances being to shift. How is Waato Sita maintaining or changing the face of arts and performance culture? What I learned in Germany was a different style, there was a lot of artists from all over the world, similar to Cirque Zuma. I've applied some of that to what we do here and people follow us because they like what we bring. They like to see what we will do next.    

What ere some challenges you faced as a choreographer? Sometimes you have problems because is not easy, you have artist conflicts etc. In order to get work from the artists you have to be hard sometimes with them because if not you don't get anything.

Who has contributed the most to your current success? Why? I come from an artistic family, my parents and my aunt have contributed the most to my success, but also the music videos. My main success is dancing with Youssou N’dour because I got to discover the world.

What are some of your favorite pieces? My favorite hasn't been done yet. Maybe later.

Goals for this group in the future? I want to travel around the world and show people who Wato Sita is, and what we can do.  

Where would you like to travel that you haven't been? I wanted to go to India, but I just went with the National Ballet. I’ve been to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, US, France, England, Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain [with the National Ballet and with Youssou N’dour]. Hopefully I will get to travel to more cities in the US.

Your style of choreography is very distinct, and very modern, but its clear that you do still maintain a connection and mastery of older styles. How did you get into your style of contemporary dance? During my stay in Germany, almost two years, I learned contemporary and other African dance styles that have contributed to my training. I combined that with the traditional dance I grew up learning.

Advice for an emerging choreographer? Study hard, have lots of concentration and believe in what your doing.

There you have it! Pape Moussa is, like many timeless artists, a perfectionist and the dancers at Wato Sita really look up to him in a way that is inspiring. Perhaps most inspiring of all was the reverence he held for his own father, Bouly Sonko and his contribution to Senegalese performance culture. For him to accredit his father as the reason why Wato Sita is special, the reason they are able to take raw talent and mold it with cross generational expertise, was particularly moving because it resonated with me personally. I am here, now, taking the lead behind my own mother and father, after decades of setting the stage long before I was born, hoping to combine the knowledge they've given me with the inspirations I’ve found on my own and present it in a way that is new and fresh but still tells a story that our hearts are familiar with.  

[fatouseckcreates]

May 2016 was the beginning of a change in my life. I was running around like a chicken without a head, trying to teach at 3 different schools, prepare my students at Ifetayo for their end of year performance, preparing myself for Kowteff’s Juneteenth and several gigs with Fusha, as well as preparing for BAM Dance Africa 2016, which was exciting for a multitude of reasons!

1- It’s Dance Africa. 2- I was reunited with friends I met during my first trip in Senegal in 2014. 3 - I got to perform with a super talented group of young artists. 4 - I made more friendships which made my second trip to Senegal even more meaningful.

I am a reserved, laid back person. I generally like to go with the flow, provided the flow is in line with my own interests and values, because my mother didn’t raise no follow fashion monkey! Jokes aside, I like to stay low key and work at my own pace, keeping personal information and goals largely to myself, but the past year has proved that if I want to reap the benefits of all my wonderful ideas, that I have to come out of my comfort zone and learn new approaches to getting these goals accomplished. For this reason, I am committed to improving not just my work habits but also my social habits in order to become a more impactful version of myself. I have written before about being named after a woman with a large legacy, Mame Fatou Seck, but I’m also named for my two biological grandmothers Ann Dubois and Alice Flossie Primus (my middle name is Annalice). The weight of all three of my names keeps me thinking about the woman I want to be. I think about how people will remember what I’ve done, I think about whether or not people will understand my intent. I think about how and who I’ll inspire, and if I already have at this point in my life.

Recently Dance Africa has changed so much from how I knew it growing up, and this weekend has been especially hard because of the recent loss in our African dance community. This year, within the past 2 months we lost Mr. Mamadou Dahoue, Baba Chuck Davis, Mama Katunge Mimy. Last year on the Saturday of Dance Africa Weekend, we also lost master drummer Cheikh Tairou M’baye, for whom a memorial celebration was held at Alvin Ailey this Saturday and Sunday.

I have been to Dance Africa nearly every year of my life. Five years I have performed on stage, three with my parents group, twice with Restoration. Some of those years I’ve performed outside, when they had “festival dancers”. Most of those years I’ve gleefully sat in the audience, which felt more like a family reunion because you literally see EVERYONE you know. All your dance family from people you haven’t seen in years to the people you dance with in class every week. People whose names or faces you don’t really know but they tell you they've known you since you were just a twinkle in your mom’s eye. And while change is inevitable, when you come to expect a particular experience it can be sobering to look around and take note of so many big changes at once.

All the change and transformation has been the constant reminder I need to keep building my own groundwork. So many great, important people have transitioned from 2016 to 2017, and it leaves me thinking, how will people remember me? What will my legacy say for me, when I can no longer speak for myself. I want people to remember me and not reduce me to having been a good dancer. I want them to connect with the spirit I carried and the work that was important to me. I’m still working on realizing all of that now, so I know I have a ways to go. By no means do I want to rush my time on earth. Still, I’m compelled to make my life meaningful not just to people who know me personally but to anyone who shares my philosophy, my love, any kindred spirt who’s ever found solace in the drums or the dance.  

The point of this, was not to say I want people to like me or to think of me as a good person when I die, but to remind myself that as long as I am here I have to make the most of my time, my energy and all things are important to me. I have to learn focus and fine tune my discipline. Share my ideas and then put actions behind my words because whats the point of having them if they stay locked away in my mind. How could any of our greats have been great if they’d kept their gifts to themselves? This weekend has been a reminder of just that. In 2017 and beyond, Fatouseck Primus will continue to work hard, work diligently, love honestly and she will not be afraid to share.

[fatouseckcreates]

From the beginning of this blog I have been promising videos! And I’ve finally figured out how to use iMovie! *pat on the back* I present to you, my first two days in Thiawuleen, Rufisque, from the moment I got off the plane.

[5footfatey]

Because I'm TERRIBLY antsy and cannot wait for these pics to be finished. 

[fatouseckcreates]

It is such a privilege to continue working with these talented artists! This is Senegal in Brooklyn brought to you by artists hailing from all over the diaspora. Our love of music and dance is what feeds, inspires and connects us.

All Day I Dream About Sabar is a choreographic film shot and edited by Belle by Ais featuring myself Fatouseck Primus, Yuko Tsuji, N'tifafa Akoko Tete-Rosenthal, Bakary Fall, Najja Codrington Guisse Samba Mamadou Guisse Cheikh Gueye Adh Alpha.

#sabarrek #senegal #brooklyn #alldayidreamaboutsabar #africandance #newyork #dance #drum #culture #sabar #nyc

[fatouseckcreates]

There is still so much to do! Thank you to everyone who's donated already!

[fatouseckcreates]

About me

My name is Fatouseck Primus. I have been dancing for all 24 years of my life and I come from a family of artists, that includes dancers, percussionists, vocalists, painters, graphic designers, horn players each one amazing in their own right. As long as I have been dancing I have been under the tutelage of many master artists from the US and abroad. Teachers like my mother, Mama andara, Sewaa Codrington, aicha Diop, Karen Thornton Daniels, mama willemena Taylor, Anthony Wooden, Marie Basse-Wiles, Mariama Basse, Malang Bayo, Rich Faye, Babacar M’baye, Pape Moussa Sonko, Bouly Sonko and many many more.

In such a short time I’ve had the blessing to be taught by legendary artists who showed me what it meant to have discipline, how to channeling my energy, how to be graceful, but powerful. God has blessed me with these teachers who have given me so much because they saw in me a desire to learn and to leave with more than I came in. I’ve performed at many Dance africa’s Lincoln center out of doors, colleges, summer stages, and this past year I got to perform at the national theater in Dakar! I have choreographed for my dance students, and organized small, specialty performances but this December will be the first time I’ve put together a performance of this capacity.

I have been plotting and dreaming and meditating on this show for upwards of 2 years.. and now I’m ready to make magic happen because, to put it simply, it’s time! It would mean the world to me if you could support my show with a donation of whatever amount you feel comfortable giving. Thank you for supporting and I hope to see you in the audience this December!

https://www.gofundme.com/fatous-artistic-director-debut

[fatouseckcreates]

Dance is my meditation. When I am in dance class or rehearsal, I am a different version of myself. I'm more focused. I'm more determined. My manner feels light, while yet focusing all my energy on my instructor, my reflection in the mirror, my fellow dancers, the musicians. I’m completely zoned in. I'm free to make mistakes and that motivates me to give everything I have towards getting it right the first time. I’m watching, investigating, studying. Its empowering to look yourself in the eye and know that you are physically able to surpass every boundary you put up for yourself, all you have to do is want it. You begin to think, why stop here? What other boundaries have I been upholding in vain?  What am I afraid of? Me, I've never stopped wanting to amaze myself from the moment I realized that dance gave me this mental and spiritual fortitude. I step on the dance floor my cup is empty; I leave behind every distraction. For the best 90 minutes to 3 hours of my day I am present. I am receptive to every nuance, every rhythm change. When I step off the floor I am content, having received all the reward I need. My cup is full.

Fatouseck Primus

[fatouseckcreates]

On Becoming Fatouseck Primus

Being an artist, owning that title and fully investing in the responsibilities of entrepreneurship that come along with it, seeking out your own resources and worldly education, is such a scary thing to think about. Here I am 23 years old. 24 in September but I feel so much older than that. I feel this sense of urgency, pulling me into my calling, asking me to go deeper within myself. Truth be told I'm frightened to answer back with all the might and conviction that I know I possess.

I spent 4 years in college like a chicken without a head running here and there to meet useless requirements until i got tired of running myself ragged. Dance was more important. Dance was feeding my soul when I was on E and I had nothing left to give my students at work, my teachers at school, my family at home, let alone restore myself. I see so many of my peers doing what speaks to their heart taking these giant leaps of faith and I'm PROUD of the work and the dedication, and I see the results.

I know that I create my reality. I know that I am able. I know that I am supported by my family, my friends, my god.  Yet when I think about all the things I want to do and be it is overwhelming. I know that I need to pursue this project wholeheartedly in order to feel at home within my mind and spirit but constantly lurking in the corners of all my bright ideas are the what ifs. The daunting hypothetical failures, misdirection and imperfections.

Having faith is hard. Keeping the faith is even harder. But I didn't want to write all this to complain and feed my worry. I say all this to acknowledge that I absolutely get scared of my own potential, and all the time I have to remind myself that I know what's best for me. Not in the sense that I shouldn't listen and be open to other people, but that I know what's in my heart I know what moves my spirit and energy doesn't lie. So if there are people, loved ones even, who don't agree with my methods or with my path, its more important to honor myself by acting on my ideas and my feelings. In this way I honor my passion and respect my own willpower.

Going to Senegal this fall, putting on this show in spring is the biggest leap I have ever wanted to take in my life thus far. I've never done anything this big on my own before now. But buried under my belief in this dream, lie the worries of how I will defend myself against naysayers. The biggest naysayer being myself. In the same breath that I express my need for change I condemn it due to its uncertainty.  I know that God is working on me, working through me and everyday I challenge myself to be open to the process but some days are more challenging than others. So today, for all those tough days I'm going to try to open a little more, breathe a little deeper, and work a little harder, and call a little louder for help. 

I dedicate this blog to my development as an artist, as a student, as a choreographer, a dancer, a dreamer. And every day I give thanks to the creator, the most high, to my ancestors, to my namesake because through all the self doubt they still manage to keep me afloat.