Bamako Basketball Players

The Thomas Guérineau Company creates musical juggling performances that blend body states (dance), acoustic sounds (music), and juggled objects. A dialogue where every gesture is a note, every thrown object a musical rhythm.

Djeneba Diabaté is an artist, dancer, performer, singer, and percussionist. She has practiced dance since a very young age. A member of Mali's National Ballet, she has taken part in numerous productions in Mali, including the Festival on the Niger, the "Rendez-vous chez nous" festival in Bamako by the Nama company, and the creation Bamako Basketball Players with the Thomas Guérineau Company.

Mariam Diakité is an artist, dancer, and performer. Dance has been part of her life from a young age, and she has participated in various artistic productions in Mali and abroad, such as the musical Horrôn (2017 to 2021) with the BlonBa company; Danse FE in Côte d’Ivoire (2016); the Rendez-vous chez nous festival (2020); and the piece Fari Foni Wati.

Koumba Alimatou Djiré is a Malian artist, dancer, and performer, holding a Master’s degree in dance from the Conservatory of Multimedia Arts and Crafts Balla Fasséké Kouyaté in Bamako (Mali). Having practiced dance since childhood, she naturally made it her profession. She has collaborated with the Nama company, the Jiriladon company, and the Thomas Guérineau Company.

Djenebou Fané is a Malian dancer and performer with a Bachelor's degree (Licence 3) from the Conservatory of Multimedia Arts and Crafts Balla Fasséké Kouyaté in Bamako. Through dance, she has worked with the Nama company and the Thomas Guérineau Company. Dance has thus become her career.

Ramata Koné is a Malian actress, a graduate of the National Institute of Arts, and holds a Bachelor's degree in theater from the Conservatory of Multimedia Arts and Crafts Balla Fasséké Kouyaté in Bamako. Her passion for theater has led her to participate in several festivals nationally and internationally, and to collaborate with the Nama company, the Anw Jigi Arts company, and the Thomas Guérineau Company. She is a laureate of the Récréâtrales’ Labo Élan (2021–2024) in Burkina Faso and of the Founou-Founou project in Mali.

Maïmouna N’Diaye is a basketball player and musical juggler. She began playing basketball in 2019 at the Magnambougou basketball training center and has competed in several events, including inter-district and regional tournaments, one of which her team won. She also took part in the national team pre-selection (cadet and junior categories). In 2021, she worked with the Thomas Guérineau Company during juggling and musical basketball workshops in Bamako at BlonBa.

Born in Tours in 1972, Thomas Guérineau began juggling at the age of 15 as a self-taught artist. He trained in juggling, dance, acrobatics, and mime at the Annie Fratellini School from 1992 to 1996. During this time, he developed a strong focus on the art of gesture, especially through his connection with Philippe Minella. He also participated in research workshops with Dominique Boivin, Francesca Lattuada, and Sophie Meyer. While at circus school, he taught himself clarinet. His interest in dance led him to take part in opera ballets, working with stage director Erik Kruger and choreographers Tessa Beaumont and Alban Richard. Later, he also taught himself percussion and singing.

Lighting Philippe Catalano

Administration Sarah Eliot

Communications Elie Grebot

Lighting Design Thomas Guérineau

General Stage Management Nina Herbuté-Lafont

Administration Arnauld Lisbonne

Costumes Evelyne Moisson-Bonnevie

Production Isabelle Prud’homme

Distribution Isabelle Prud’homme

Produced by Compagnie TG (France)

Co-production Nama Company (Mali); Africolor (France); Le Cube, Garges-lès-Gonesse (France); Agora, National Circus Center Boulazac Aquitaine (France); La Verrerie d’Alès, National Circus Center Occitanie (France); Théâtre de Rungis (France); Cirque Théâtre Elbeuf, National Circus Center (France); La Brèche – National Circus Center of Normandy – Cherbourg-en-Cotentin (France)

Supported by the Institut Français in Paris, Export Recovery Program; with financial contribution from the European Union and support from the OEACP Secretariat; Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States ACP-EU CULTURE Program (West Africa); AWA; Ministry of Culture – Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Île-de-France; Creation support from the Île-de-France Region; ADAMI; National Center for Music.