This cinematic companion to DanceAfrica showcases the best new narrative, documentary, and short films from across Africa and the diaspora, with a focus on films from, and about, Cameroon.
DanceAfrica Festival 2024
This Memorial Day weekend, the nation’s largest festival dedicated to African diasporic dance and music opens up Brooklyn’s stages to the ancestral history and vital living artistry of Cameroon. Now in its 47th year, DanceAfrica explores the past and present of Central African history, arts, and culture, as symbolized by the calabash—a vessel of mystical, practical, and cultural significance.
We partner with longtime neighbors, first-time visitors, the DanceAfrica Council of Elders, and our partners at Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and The Billie Holiday Theatre (formerly Restoration Arts) to create the nation’s largest festival of African dance—and Brooklyn’s unofficial start to summer. Featuring traditional dance and music from Cameroon, classes, workshops, late-night dance parties, visual art, FilmAfrica’s dazzling cinematic series, and the iconic outdoor bazaar, experience the sights, sounds, and magic of Brooklyn’s most unmissable celebration.
Greetings from DanceAfrica Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam
Cameroon comes alive on the stages and streets of Brooklyn.
Season Sponsor:
Current Season
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Dance | Music
DanceAfrica 2024
May 24—May 27, 2024
Dance | MusicDanceAfrica 2024
May 24—May 27, 2024
DanceAfrica presents The Origin of Communities / A Calabash of Cultures, an immersive experience that celebrates the depth of Cameroonian culture.
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CommunityDanceAfrica Bazaar 2024
May 25—May 27, 2024
DanceAfrica Bazaar 2024
May 25—May 27, 2024DanceAfrica’s beloved bazaar returns, featuring more than 150 vendors from around the world, offering African, Caribbean, and African-American food, crafts, and fashion. -
ClassesDanceAfrica Workshops and Classes
May 25—May 27, 2024
DanceAfrica Workshops and Classes
May 25—May 27, 2024Experience the profundity and excitement of African culture, art, and history in classes and workshops designed for DanceAfrica to teach fundamentals of Cameroonian movement and music. -
CommunityMemorial Room
May 23—May 27, 2024
Memorial Room
May 23—May 27, 2024The Memorial Room is dedicated to preserving the tradition of paying homage to the ancestors of DanceAfrica’s past and present, as well as the ancestors of the visiting companies. -
Dance | Galas & EventsDress Rehearsal: DanceAfrica 2024
Thu, May 23, 2024
Dress Rehearsal: DanceAfrica 2024
Thu, May 23, 2024Members OnlyBAM Members (Level 3+) will be the first to see this year’s DanceAfrica performance, celebrating traditional dance and rhythm of the Republic of Cameroon, at this working dress rehearsal.
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Film | TalksIn Conversation with Jean-Pierre Dikongué-Pipa
Sat, May 25, 2024
In Conversation with Jean-Pierre Dikongué-Pipa
Sat, May 25, 2024Join us for an in-depth conversation with pioneering director Jean-Pierre Dikongué-Pipa, whose celebrated 1974 feature film, Muna Moto, brought Cameroonian cinema to global audiences.
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CommunityLate Night Dance Party with DJ YB
Sat, May 25, 2024
Late Night Dance Party with DJ YB
Sat, May 25, 2024Keep the DanceAfrica celebration going after hours with DJ YB, called the “General of Afrobeats,” who brings a mix of Afrobeats, funk, soul, rock, jazz, and hip-hop stylings to the dance floor of BAMcafé. -
CommunityCouncil of Elders Roundtable: Legacy & Preservation
Sun, May 26, 2024
Council of Elders Roundtable: Legacy & Preservation
Sun, May 26, 2024Members of DanceAfrica’s Council of Elders discuss preserving the festival’s legacy, and creating connections among the ancestors, the art and culture of Africa and its diaspora. -
CommunityDanceAfrica and the BAM Hamm Archives
ONGOING
DanceAfrica and the BAM Hamm Archives
ONGOINGDiscover the BAM Hamm Archives’ ongoing mission to preserve the vast legacy of DanceAfrica through projects focused on oral history and recordings. -
Visual ArtDanceAfrica Visual Art
May 7—May 31, 2024
DanceAfrica Visual Art
May 7—May 31, 2024Salifou Lindou’s “La course 2,” a mixed-media work created for DanceAfrica 2024, explores the perceived conflict between challenge and play with two shapes that dance across the canvas.
Past Events
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CommunityTribute to the Ancestors
Sat, May 18, 2024
Tribute to the Ancestors
Sat, May 18, 2024This traditional tribute to those who have passed features music and drumming, dance performances, and a libation ceremony conducted by the DanceAfrica Council of Elders.
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CommunityCommunity Day
Sat, May 18, 2024
Community Day
Sat, May 18, 2024DanceAfrica 2024 gets started with our annual Restoration DanceAfrica Community Day Kickoff, featuring special guest artists, Billie Holiday Theatre Youth Arts Academy students, and more!
