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Nicholas Sironka
Nicholas Sironka is the founder of Enkishon Nataana and the leader of the Friends of Sironka Dance Troupe. He is a Maasai by birth, born in the Rift Valley town of Narok, Kenya, which is located about three hours away from his current home outside of Kiserian. Sironka believes in the philosophy of using one's personal talents to bring improvement to one's community. He first discovered his talent as an artist during his childhood, and he developed his own unique style as a painter over the years to come with no formal training. His skill in painting led him to come to the United States as a Fullbright scholar in 2000. With the help of the contacts and donors he met in Spokane, Washington, Sironka was able to bring the first Friends of Sironka dance troupe to the United States. He is now embarking upon a third tour of the United States and the United Kingdom with his dance troupe that will begin in January 2005.
The road is not always easy for Sironka as he serves his community. In addition to the difficulties faced in raising money to fund community projects, Sironka often must contend with male community members who ridicule him for wishing to advance the role Maasai women are allowed to take in their society. Nonetheless, he perserveres, with the help of his wife, Seleina, showing gratitude for the changes he has been able to make over time.
Alas, the life of a dance troupe leader can be a tiring one, and so Sironka hopes to return to his job as an art professor in the United States for a while after completing the 2005 Friends of Sironka tour.
Sironka is a man of many talents. Besides his skill in painting, he has also been a graphic designer, an author of children's books about Maasai culture, and has been an actor in several Kenyan films. In the past, he has taken his dance troupe to the United States, Europe, South Africa, and Korea. In 1995, he designed and crafted the peace torch carried by African women at the United Nations Women's Development Fund conference in Beijing.
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