Senegal

In Senegal, there’s a dance school where even experienced dancers struggle to keep their balance. The floor is sand.

On the coast outside Dakar stands a dance studio without walls, just a large roof over a floor of sand. Its founder, one of the pioneers of contemporary African dance, sold her flat in Paris to build it.

Dancers come here from across Africa and the world. One dancer from Burundi remembers how hard it was to find her footing in the first days.

The founder is now over 80 and still leads the classes. “Walk! Take in the energy of the earth,” she calls, as feet strike the sand to the beat of the drums.