The company’s tours, which can last up to two years, are physically demanding. In contrast to other African dance traditions, Speechley describes Guinean dance as “very fast, with a constant, high level of energy.” Each company member must become proficient not only in the dances of his or her own region, but in the traditions of other Guinean people.

Founded in 1952 by distinguished Guinean choreographer Keita Fodeba, Les Ballets Africains became the national ensemble of the Republic of Guinea in 1958, when the country gained its independence. The company played a pivotal role in bringing traditional African dance to the attention of the global community.

According to Amaniyea Payne, artistic director of Chicago’s Muntu Dance Theatre, Les Ballets Africains was one of the first companies in Africa to bring a structure and formula to traditional dance. “Keita Fodeba was very focused on preserving traditional value and form,” she says. “He really thought about how to bring this dance to international stages.”

Artistic director Hamidou Bangoura continues Fodeba’s legacy. Although the company’s most recent productions have been based on traditional stories—“Mandinka Memories” tells a folktale about Soundiata Keita, who couldn’t walk when he was born but grew up to defeat a great tyrant and become a celebrated king—Bangoura has infused the stories with contemporary movement. Certain sections of “Mandinka Memories” feature break-dancing moves.

“That’s what folklore is all about,” Payne says. “It expresses the social, economic, and political experience of a people through dance and story and song. And while there’s a certain amount of mythology, the work is also concerned with what’s happening now. These dances are ever evolving. Even though some of us choose to create traditional or formal work, we are contemporary artists.”

When Les Ballets Africains came to Chicago seven years ago, it shared a stage with Muntu as a part of Dance Africa. This time around, Muntu presents the work of the Guinean company. “Presenting,” Payne says “is a new role for us”—one that the company hopes to take on in a bigger way when it moves into its new facility on the South Side.

Payne hopes that the performance will increase interest in local companies like Muntu, who perform and teach West African dance, but she believes that the company’s energy will appeal to a broad audience. “We are talking about something universal. The drum beat is like the heartbeat—everyone gets touched and inspired by it.”

Les Ballets Africains opens at the Harris Tuesday Mar 6.