Ilana Moon has been performing in the African and world beat music scene for over twenty years. She started her career as a dancer, at the age of five. She ran her own dance company, Dancingmoon Multicultural Arts Dance company from 1995-2008, after which she decided to focus more on musical performance than dance instruction.

Ilana has studied with some of the top African Dance teachers in North America and West Africa such as the renowned Babatunde Olatunji, Julia Chigamba, Hasannatou (N’Nato) Camara and performed extensively with them in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. She performed in Jambanja Marimba Band for seven years, including at a private show for Oprah Winfrey in 2007. Ilana is a founding member of Marafani World Beat and Kikeyambay Traditional Drum and Dance, after her trip to Guinea West Africa to further her knowledge in the African arts scene. She has performed at hundreds of schools around British Columbia through the ArtStarts education program and worked with prestigious schools such as St. Michael's University School to prepare a production called Africa for the middle school performed at the McPherson Theater. Ilana is a dynamic performing artist and multi-instrumentalist musician.

In the other half of her life Ilana is a holistic massage practitioner and is a part owner of a mobile massage company called Healing Hands Mobile Massage. Ilana is a registered acupuncturist and holistic body worker who works full time at fernwood health and performance Combining healing arts and music is what Ilana is all about.

A celebrated soloist and master djembe player from Guinea, Alseny Michel Diallo and Marafani offers audiences a chance to dance, be joyful and revel in the African way of music as a vital and fundamental part of everyday life.