DanceAfrica Performance

Abdel R. Salaam is the Artistic Director of DanceAfrica, the Executive Artistic Director and co-founder of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, and a critically acclaimed choreographer. Born in Harlem, he has served as a dancer, teacher, and performing artist on five continents throughout his 55-year career. He has received numerous awards and fellowships for excellence in dance and dance theater, and continues to dedicate his life's work to the healing and empowerment of us all.

The National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique (CNCD) has been at the forefront of Mozambique’s artistic and cultural landscape for over four decades. Founded in 1983, the company is dedicated to preserving and reinterpreting traditional Mozambican music and dance, blending folkloric, contemporary, and theatrical elements to tell the stories of Mozambique’s diverse regions.

As Mozambique’s premier cultural ambassador, CNCD has performed on five continents, earning acclaim at the Kennedy Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and across the US, Europe, Africa, and Asia. At home, the company has reached hundreds of thousands annually, using dance and music as powerful tools for storytelling, education, and social engagement—addressing themes such as democracy, national unity, and cultural identity.

Bringing their artistry to New York for performances at DanceAfrica 2025, CNCD offers a rare opportunity for audiences to experience the depth and dynamism of Mozambican movement traditions—a powerful testament to the endurance, beauty, and evolution of African performance on the global stage.

Mama Coumba Saaraba is a Brooklyn-based dance and drum ensemble that specializes in Senegalese Thiossane, or traditional culture. Formed in 2018, the group is named in reverence to Artistic Director and founder Fatouseck Primus’ mother, teacher, and long time BAM DanceAfrica Elder Mama Koumba Andara, combined with the Wolof word saaraba, meaning paradise. The group’s debut and encore performances at the historic National Black Theatre in Harlem and Billie Holiday Theatre in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, wowed audiences with the heartwarming story of The Wedding. The founding members consist of 12 dancers and drummers trained in Sabar, Djembe, and Kutiro movement, history, and music. MCS artfully combines the intricacy of concert performance with the simple beauty of ancient tradition.

This DanceAfrica favorite returns to the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House for the 29th year. The ensemble serves as a symbol of youth involvement in the preservation of African heritage, celebrating both ancestral roots and the modern-day community. The ensemble, under Program Manager Karen Thornton, serves as a symbol of youth involvement in the preservation of African heritage, celebrating both ancestral roots and modern-day community.

The DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers were founded by Baba Abdel R. Salaam in 2016 to theatrically honor the ancestors of Africa and its diaspora through the annual DanceAfrica Memorial Tribute, originally developed by the late Baba Chuck Davis. The group comprises professional dance artists and musicians from the RestorationART alumni and Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, melding African vernacular forms, modern, hip-hop, and contemporary dance. The DanceAfrica Spiritwalkers is a division of Forces of Nature Dance Theatre.