Co-founder of the Agency, Adrienne Medjo is a director, theater teacher, actress, choreographer and storyteller. Author and drama therapist, she has a Master II in Literature and Performing Arts and teaches French and theater at the Alliance Française de Toronto (Canada and France).
He is co-founder of the artistic agency Ekin and professional musician / rapper under the pseudonym of ” Taigenz ”. He was a trumpeter in his youth and as an artist, has opened up for many widely known acts such as Wiz Khalifa and Wu Tang Clan among many others. As a songwriter, he writes his rap lyrics and runs writing workshops across Canada. His album “Life Ain’t Free” was released in 2019.
She is a dancer and an actress. She trained in dance and theater with ADDYDANSE, (Jazz, hip-hop, African dances, contemporary) and workshops in America and Europe at Alvin Ailey Dance school, Studio Harmonic, Center de danse Momboye, Broadway Dance Center, City Dance Corps and a dancer from the Ste Tropez Dance School Salsa Troupe.
Passionate about French, Gareth developed an adequate cultural approach to the language of Molière. With an open mind to the world, it was therefore natural that he joined Ekin to share his passion for cultures and languages. A translator of Ekin‘s shows, and very culturally engaged, Gareth has the art of adapting each text to the cultural realities it exposes. Some translations and adaptations of Gareth:
– Adrienne Medjo’s “Congo: The Afflicted Lung of Africa” (French version)
– Poetry – “Your Half” (French version) by Adrienne Medjo
– Slam-poetry – “To you, the girl of the great lakes” (French version) by Adrienne Medjo
Sandra Uhlrich is a young French actress-actress who has been performing in Canada for almost 6 years, and is part of the Ekin collective. Sandra was thus able to be part of the creations of the director Adrienne Medjo, such as “Kamba, la petite fille du Kasai” (2016 and 2017), “Migration” (2016), “Ex-Ile” (2018), “Notre sexualite” (2019), “Poesic Jazz and Poesic Urbain: a slam and poetry project” (2017), “My First Christmas in Canada “(2018), and “Congo: The Afflicted Lung of Africa” (2020). Full of energy and creative, Sandra is also part of the Agency’s marketing team.
Elaine has been involved in the Performing Arts for 5 years. With a background in journalism in China, she has done public speaking in Toronto through radio literature and theater. Passionate about the French language, she has participated in various reading, literature and poetry activities in French in Ontario. She very quickly fell in love with theater and the vision established by Adrienne Medjo. From then on she joined the Ekin collective and continues to work on productions such as “The Monologue of the Vagina” of Scuderia, “Poesic Jazz” with Ekin and ANF, “Ex-Île”: an Ekin and FrancoQueer production and finally in 2020, “Congo: The Afflicted Lung of Africa”.
Since 2020, Elaine has embarked on theater and dance projects with Ekin Agency Arts in French, English and Mandarin and has never stopped recreating herself.
Aleksandra has been part of the Ekin collective since 2016. By first starting to take acting lessons with director Adrienne Medjo, she subsequently landed a role in the engaged LGBT play “Migration: The monologue du vagina” by Scuderia Theater, directed by Arienne Medjo. Aleksandra would then continue the roles engaged with Ekin by playing in “Ex-Ile”, a production of Ekin and FrancoQueer and finally in 2020, “Congo: The Afflicted Lung of Africa”, a play on the colonialist relations between Western countries and developing countries. With a background in psychology, the traumas of history allow her to understand the psychology of the characters she plays.
Chrysogone Diagouaya is a multidisciplinary Franco-Congolese artist based in Paris. As a dancer, storyteller, actor and singer, the source of his inspiration lies in African art created by the Kongo Empire in order to bring a sense of peace and personal well-being to the witnessing public.
Hassan El Hadi is an accomplished singer-songwriter as well as an impressive Oud (oriental lute) player. Originally from Morocco, he grew up in Marrakech, where the sounds of Arab-Berber music are combined. It was inspired by the annual Festival of Popular Arts, the daily rhythms of Jemaa el Fna square and the many local ceremonies and festivities.
Se’lah Genesis is a Soul-Jazz-Rnb singer and slam artist with nearly 10 years of experience. Loving different cultures and integrating different projects, she is the voice of “Palabre de femmes” where she would serenade the crowd with her voice throughout.
Se’lah was part of the creation projects of “Palabre de Femmes”, the legend of Kongolo and the lost values, the theater play “Ex-Île”, as well as that of “Congo: The Afflicted Lung of Africa”. She has participated in the slam-poetry projects of Poesic Jazz and Poesic Urbain.
Se’lah Genesis is also the co-author of several musical projects with Ekin Agency Arts.
Ten years of experience in administration, as well as a director and manager of the ready-to-wear boutique Guli Guilable, she has a keen interest in African arts from which she draws inspiration for her creations. Pleasant and spontaneous, communication is her strong point. Sandrine is Ekin’s ambassador for projects that reach young people and women in difficulty.
Project manager in the Ethny association (France) and also a costume designer for 5 years. Ms. Messan specializes in traditional performance costumes and draws inspiration from West African masks and traditions for her designs.
CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH PAGE
