Kenna Cottman (aka Kenna Sarge) is widely known for her West African and hip-hop fusion techniques. With Shared Language, she considers conflict in her own cultural identity, collaborating with Senegalese griot (storyteller/musician) Backa Niang to combine oral language traditions with a new movement vocabulary derived from Senegalese sabar dance, Guinée djembe dance, and a more contemporary take on her own style.