Dancer Babacar Mané takes to the international stage

DW (English)

A career in contemporary dance is rare for a Senegalese. Babacar Mané took the leap and made his dream a reality.

Transcript

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.

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