A career in contemporary dance is rare for a Senegalese. Babacar Mané took the leap and made his dream a reality.
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00:00Babacar Mané's journey to the grand stages of Europe, Asia and the U.S. is one driven
00:12by passion, perseverance and, above all, discipline.
00:17So what's it like for him to dance internationally?
00:21It's very exciting, very enriching because I have the opportunity to criss-cross the
00:28world and visit countries I didn't know.
00:35It's also very enriching to discover other cultures and dances that are different from
00:39my native traditional dance.
00:41And for me, it's one of the most precious things I've had in my life.
00:48Babacar grew up in Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa.
00:51He began dancing at the age of 15 with hip-hop.
00:55Three years later, he started formal training at the National School of the Arts in Dakar.
01:00So how is dance as a career viewed in Senegal?
01:04To be a dancer in Senegal is something quite taboo, especially as a man.
01:12Dance is seen as something that's done by women.
01:15Senegal is a very traditional country.
01:20In Senegal, one woman has had a major impact on his career.
01:25Germaine Akonyi, a pioneer of modern dance in Africa.
01:29She's one of the founders of the École des Sables, a center for contemporary African
01:33dance in Senegal.
01:35She discovered Babacar during auditions for a project with the German Pina Bausch Foundation.
01:42If you don't know where you're going, look at where you come from.
01:51If you're not rooted in your culture, you can't go forward.
01:55As a dancer, Babacar Mané is deeply rooted in his culture.
02:01His international breakthrough came in 2021, when he began touring with the Pina Bausch
02:06Foundation as part of the Ensemble for the Rite of Spring.
02:10So what was the biggest challenge for him?
02:15The challenge was integration, integrating into a community that sometimes has a very
02:20specific way of thinking or dancing.
02:27It must be said that in terms of training in Africa, we don't have much contemporary
02:32classical training.
02:35In the meantime, he and his wife Shelley, also a modern dancer, choreographed their
02:39own pieces and take them on tour from New York to Tokyo.
02:46In Berlin, Babacar is sharing part of his culture as a guest dancer in a workshop for
02:50Sabar, a traditional Senegalese dance normally performed by women on social occasions.
03:00I wanted to bring an approach that's different from what's usually done.
03:04It means that I didn't just want to make people dance.
03:07I wanted to make them understand the definition of each step.
03:14Babacar has also expanded into film.
03:17He and his wife starred in an independent short about a young couple in an emotional
03:21struggle with their feelings.
03:26At the young age of 30, Babacar has achieved more than most people do in their entire lifetime.
03:31How does he feel at this point in his career?
03:35I'm proud of myself, because it hasn't been easy, so I feel good.
03:40Also, it makes me happy because many young people today look up to me, like an idol.
03:46They watch how I do things and tell me that they're following in my footsteps.
03:50So it makes me happy.
03:51And through all this, I tell myself that I can't afford to make mistakes.
03:55I must continue to break down barriers.
03:57There's still a lot to do.
04:00Babacar Mané's story is an inspiring one about perseverance and challenging stereotypes
04:06a call to all young Africans to pursue their dreams.