NIMBA by Kira Arts

MORE ABOUT THE WORK & KIRA ARTS

Nimba is choreographed and directed by Aly Keita, the Artistic Director of Kira Arts. Rooted in two powerful symbols of Guinea — the Nimba (N’Dimba) mask of the Baga people, revered as a Universal Mother, and Mount Nimba, a UNESCO World Heritage mountain whose fifty springs sustain life — NIMBA fuses living traditions with contemporary performance through striking physicality. Through dance, circus, and music, bodies rise from the ground and carve space in motion, carrying memory and embodying the deep connection between land and people. As rural and urban worlds collide, landscapes shift, reshaping territory and identity alike. Moving through spirituality, conflict, fire, destruction, renewal, and abundance, NIMBA channels the forces that shape both land and human life. It is at once ancestral and urgent, a performance that speaks to our bond with the Earth and the future we are creating.

Kira Arts is dedicated to the creation and production of works in live arts , promoting intercultural dialogue. Their creations, based on collaboration and inclusion, highlight artistic diversity and offer opportunities to artists from all backgrounds.

From Kira Arts: Kira Arts ‘ mission is to create and produce live art works for the stage and other media. Integrating diverse artistic practices and expressions on an equal footing, our creations foster intercultural dialogue between artists, audiences, and partners.

The word “Kira” comes from Susu, one of the languages ​​of Guinea, and means “path.” It symbolizes the idea of ​​life as a journey where we come together and unite. We cultivate an inclusive and diverse practice environment based on knowledge sharing and collaboration. We believe in the uniqueness of each body and the value of each individual, elements that enrich the shared meaning of creation.

We encourage artists’ autonomy, defend their freedom of expression, and value the authenticity of their interpretation. Rather than exactly reproducing what the choreographer experiences, we invite artists to embody the multiple possible interpretations of the same event. Our artistic approach focuses on encounter as a field of research and creation.

We aim to create more professional opportunities for artists from disadvantaged communities or with less conventional backgrounds, encouraging them to persevere and enabling them to build a professional network and showcase their talent. We are building an artistic and civic community around us, open to the world and able to meet, communicate, and enrich one another.

Aly Keita co-founded Kira Arts, and is a Montreal artist originally from Guinea. He studied circus arts, dance

 and music at the Centre d’art acrobatique Keita Fodeba in Conakry. In 2016, he came to Canada as part of a cultural exchange between Inuit and Guinean acrobats, which led to the production of the documentary Circus without borders. Since then, he has collaborated with various organisations, including Productions Kalabanté, Cirque Eloize, Cavalia, Zab Maboungou/Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata, MAPP_Montréal, Jobel Art for Earth, Audrey Gaussiran, RD Créations, and more. He also took part in Afro Canada, a documentary on 400 years of Afro-descendant history, broadcast by Radio-Canada. Between 2020 and 2021, he created his work, Djata: Conversations du Manden and, in 2023, he created his new work Altération, supported by the CALQ and the CAC.  Aly has extensive experience in teaching and cultural mediation with both young audiences and adults. For him, interaction with audiences of all ages is a source of artistic and human enrichment.

Kira Arts acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the Conseil des arts de Montréal. Kira Arts also wish to acknowledge the support of the Centre culturel franco-guinéen and Studios Kirah.