 After Guinea obtained its independence from France in 1958, then President of Guinea Ahmed Sékou Touré made the ballet the national ensemble.When President Sékou Touré died in 1984, government support came to an end, and the troupe encountered financial difficulties for several years, but has subsequently resumed touring.In 1991, Italo Zambo, the company's artistic director, noted that the Los Angeles day performances differed from the night ones and performances in Africa and Europe in one respect