Abou Sylla comes from a musical family: his father played balafon and his mother and sister were both singers. When Abou was five, his uncle gave him a djembe and he started playing immediately. When he was eight, he began playing the balafon and went to live with his balafon teacher in a nearby village.  He lived with his teacher until his was 19 years old.

At the age of nineteen, Abou left his home of Bramaya and moved with his family to Conakry, the capital of Guinea, and they continued to perform together. In 2000, his uncle, who played with les Ballets Africans, secured an audition forAbou.  Abou auditioned on the djembe, balafon, krin and doundoun. The Ballet signed him on immediately.

In 2004 Abou was selected to perform in Het Waterhuis' 'Landing Gear' in Guinea and Holland. This musical theatrical performance is about two children from Guinea who were discovered dead in the landing gear of an airplane in Belgiumin 1999. Abou lived in Holland for six months during this time.

In 2006 Abou traveled to the U.S. with les Ballet Africans, giving over 50 performances. He moved to Austin shortly thereafter and now serves as Lannaya's Musical Director.

Alseny Sylla (Artistic Director) is from Conakry, Guinea (West Africa) and began drumming at the age of 16. Master drummer of the djun djun (base stick drums) and djembe (hand drum), he has toured extensively throughout Central and West Africa, Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States with many renowned African drum and dance companies, including Federation Company, Basicola, E’toille de Kaloum and Koteba. In 1999, M. Sylla moved to New York City where he performed widely with other artists from West Africa including Foliba, with percussion of Guinea’s Mohammed Camara and Acquaba, with renowned artists from the Ivory Coast. While in New York, M. Sylla taught djun djun workshops at Lisangua Ya Bato Dance and Drum Camp, a 10-day long camp in upstate New York known throughout the U.S. as having the best African music and dance instructors.

Monsieur Sylla relocated to Austin, Texas in 2000 at the invitation of the local drum and dance community. For the past seven years, he has taught classes in djembe and djun djun, specialty workshops, and has toured a circuit of corporate organizations through Drum Cafe, an exceptional interactive drum company that provides corporate entertainment, teambuilding events, and training programs to companies worldwide. He has also accompanied West African dance classes as the soloist at the University of Texas at Austin, Kenny Doram School for the Performing Arts, Zilker Elementary School, as well as at Tapestry Dance Studio. M. Sylla has also been a major draw for students at the local Afrikan Village Drum and Dance Camp in Dripping Springs. A global artist, M. Sylla also adds his superb drumming to the eclecticism of Atash, a popular middle eastern-style musical fusion ensemble that is currently recording and performing locally, and has toured nationally throughout the Western United States, the Far East, and Spain.

In 2001, M. Sylla co-founded the Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble and serves as its Artistic Director. M. Sylla and the ensemble have been actively involved in the Austin community, performing at numerous schools and special events at venues such as the Paramount Theater, the University of Texas at Austin, and the beautiful One World Theater.