The evolution of professional contemporary dance in Burkina Faso

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Burkina Faso is renowned within international dance circles for its vibrant dance scene. It is the origin of several accomplished and widely touring performing artists as well as a growing number of upcoming dancer-choreographers who want to engage in a professional artistic career. Yet, the existence of the profession of an artist, let alone of a professional choreographer, is not a commonly recognized social fact in this country. Against this background we trace the historical evolution of the dancing profession in Burkina Faso. Focusing on Ouagadougou, we analyse how the contemporary dance field has developed in this specific location as a transnationally connected social space that forms part of a global art world. We analyse its multiple institutional linkages with other spaces highlighting the concrete actors who have contributed to the establishment of dance ‘as an art and a profession’ (Sanou 2008, Afrique Danse Contemporaine. Pantin: Centre National de la Danse, 43) in this country. Thereby we underline the ambivalent role of the state, which remains an indispensable interlocutor not only in the process of recognizing artists’ official status and providing access to public infrastructure but also in establishing schools, which have become important institutions mediating the relations of the art world of contemporary choreography with its social environment.