Story perspectives

Port Threat Forces Arts Resistance After Biennial Finale

5/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

The African Dance Biennial ended Sunday with 25 companies performing in the sand-filled studio of Senegal’s École des Sables.
École des Sables, founded in 1998 by choreographer Germaine Acogny, gained international attention as the venue for the first African staging of Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring”.
A billion-dollar deep-water port project led by Dubai Ports World threatens the school’s land.
Local arts groups formed a resistance association in response.

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Story summary

The African Dance Biennial ended Sunday with 25 companies performing in the sand-filled studio of Senegal’s École des Sables.
École des Sables, founded in 1998 by choreographer Germaine Acogny, gained international attention as the venue for the first African staging of Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring”.
A billion-dollar deep-water port project led by Dubai Ports World threatens the school’s land.
Local arts groups formed a resistance association in response.