About

Join us for a master class taught by Les Ballet Afrik founder and director Omari Wiles which will explore West African and Vogue dance techniques.

Les Ballet Afrik Bio

Les Ballet Afrik is a multi-cultural dance company that explores the masculine and feminine energies within different dance forms. Our mission is to bridge the gap between the progressive LGBTQ community and the traditions of the Diaspora. We hope to bring awareness to the Black and Latino experience within the ballroom scene, and put a focus on the importance of
community, and connection to ancestry. Rooted in Traditional African, House, Vogue, and Latin movement, and under the direction of legendary Omari “Oricci” Wiles, Les Ballet Afrik has pioneered a new movement style called “Afrikfusion”, a unique blend of dance and movement unlike anything that’s ever been done before.

Omari Wiles Bio

Ousmane Wiles was born in West Africa Senegal. He began his training in West African dance at the age of six years old. Wiles then joined his mother—Marie Basse Wiles—and became the assist director to her company: The Maimouna Ketia School of African Dance. Working with master African dancers, Ousmane devolved the skills needed to teach the art of traditional African. Venturing further into the world of dance, Wiles found himself learning, training and falling in love with other styles such as Hip-Hop, House, Modern, and Vogue. Wiles has been given the chance to work with many artist such as: Beyonce, Jidenna, Rashaad Newsome, Zuma Zuma, Wunmi, Estelle, Gala, Kenya Moore, Cuba Gooding Jr.,and more. Ousmane is now evolving his own style of dance blending African, Vogue and House as one. He is the founder of LES BALLET AFRIK.

ArtPower at UC San Diego is a Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN). This project is made possible in part by support from the NPN Artist Engagement Fund. Major contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information visit www.npnweb.org.