Senegal Culture: Contemporary dance studio celebrates African heritage

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Europe

03:57

The Senegalese dance school, L'ecole des Sables, is one of the most prestigious dance institutions in Africa. The school fuses traditional and contemporary African moves and attracts students from around the world. CGTN's Wilkister Nyabwa has more.

WILKISTER NYABWA TOUBAB DIALAO, SENEGAL "It is known as L'ecole des Sables, the dancing school built in the sands of Senegal, which brings together dancers from every continent to share and fuse their dances and cultures."

This dance floor is a place for expression. Every movement says something. Through dance, the students share their stories and histories, bridging a gap that words just can't fill.

This is the vision Germaine Acogny had when she founded the school over 20 years ago. After living in Europe for a few years, Germaine and her husband Helmut decided to return to her home country, Senegal, to share their love of dance with African students.

HELMUT VOGT CO-FOUNDER, L'ECOLE DES SABLES "There was no other place which offered the dancers, the young dancers, the professional education and it's clear if you want to be good, if you want to make a career, if you want to reach some excellence, you have to have an education."

GERMAINE ACOGNY CO-FOUNDER, L'ECOLE DES SABLES "We decide to have this village and African dancers from Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone meet here and you know also, all continents they come to meet here to share. And the goal is to give the most level education of African dance."

They didn't have much money. So the dancers danced in the sand. That's how the school got its name.

But things have since changed. There's a modern dance studio now. And dancers from other continents are eager to visit the school too.

They want to learn from Germaine, who is widely acknowledged as the grand dame of contemporary African dance. She created the techniques used today. For the next month, these students from the Netherlands will participate in a 4-week exchange program at the school in Senegal.

TAMARA VAN LENT DANCE STUDENT "They want us to feel other cultures, so that's why we are here; To come out of the Amsterdam bubble."

ROY ILAGOU DANCE STUDENT "Here in Senegal the things that give me more energy is because the Senegalese push someone further."

The selection process for new students is rigorous. Applicants must know their traditional dances well before they can learn new dance forms.

HELMUT VOGT CO-FOUNDER, L'ECOLE DES SABLES "So when the dancers from other continents come here, they discover the values, the power, the strengths, the energy, the variety, the incredible variety of African dance."

Watching the students mingle and dance, 74-year-old Germaine is content. Through dance, she has passed her message of unity. And now a new generation is following in her footsteps. WILKISTER NYABWA, CGTN, SENEGAL.