African Dance Biennial brings 25 companies to Senegal’s Toubab Dialao as École des Sables faces threats from a nearby port project
Twenty-five dance companies from across Africa gathered in the Senegalese coastal village of Toubab Dialao over the weekend for the African Dance Biennial, a major continental showcase of contemporary African choreography held at the École des Sables.
Dancers in vibrant costumes filled the sandy landscape, performing powerful routines that blended movement, rhythm, and storytelling in the sun-baked fishing village located about an hour from Dakar.
The African Dance Biennial, founded in 1997, rotates across African cities to promote contemporary choreographic expression on the continent. The most recent edition before Senegal was held in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2023.
This year’s three-day edition concluded on Sunday at the École des Sables, an internationally recognised dance institution founded in 1998 by Germaine Acogny, widely regarded as the pioneer of modern African dance.
The school is known for its open-air sand studio and its unique teaching philosophy, which blends Acogny’s contemporary technique with traditional West African and Black modern dance practices.
Over the years, the institution has attracted dancers from across the world and gained global recognition, particularly after hosting the first African production of Pina Bausch’s *The Rite of Spring*, which toured internationally between 2021 and 2025.
The festival unfolded against growing concerns over the future of the institution, as a major deep-water port project being developed nearby raises fears of land expropriation in the surrounding area.
The project, overseen by Dubai Ports World, has triggered concerns among local arts and cultural institutions, many of which fear displacement due to large-scale infrastructure expansion.
In response, several organisations in the area have formed an association to oppose aspects of the development, arguing that it could threaten the ecological and cultural integrity of the village.
Despite these tensions, the Biennial continued to highlight the resilience of African contemporary dance, with performances reflecting both artistic innovation and deep cultural heritage.
The event reaffirmed Toubab Dialao’s growing reputation as a symbolic hub for African dance, even as questions remain over how long its creative ecosystem can be sustained under mounting development pressure.
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