Burkina Faso Dancers Feel Music Through Vibrations and Redefine Inclusive Dance | Ukraine news

What began with children seeking creative opportunities has grown into a stage language that audiences across continents are learning to see and feel.

For deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers, rhythm does not necessarily have to be sound – it can be felt through the body. In Burkina Faso, the Fientan troupe performs complex choreographic pieces barefoot, sensing the musical pulse through the floor, touch, and vibrations.

As stated by CNN

At the heart of these performances is the “Vibra-Signe” method. It combines bodily sensations, gestures, and sign language, enabling people with hearing impairments to learn dance, teach it, and create their own productions.

How the “Vibra-Signe” Method Came About

The method was developed by Yaya Sanou, a dancer, choreographer, and singer from Bobo-Dioulasso. He grew up in an environment where music and dance accompanied important events in life, so from an early age he experienced rhythm as part of everyday life.

We really grow up alongside dance culture – at funerals and christenings. I grew up with rhythm in my body.

– Yaya Sanou

In 2006, Sanou often passed by the Institute for Deaf Youth in Burkina Faso on his way to his own dance classes. In the courtyard, he noticed children who barely played and seemed bored. The choreographer decided to organize creative lessons for them.

I saw that there were very few opportunities for personal development. No one was offering the children dance, cultural, or sports activities.

– Yaya Sanou

When he began, Sanou did not know sign language. For the first two years, he learned alongside the children, writing explanations on a board so that the students could pass them on to their classmates. Gradually, sign language became an important part of his approach to dance.

However, gestures alone were not enough to perceive music precisely. The dancers touched drums and powerful speakers to sense the tempo. Sanou used gentle touches on their shoulders or backs to help them learn the sequence of movements and the musical structure. Their bare feet picked up the vibrations traveling through the floor.

From School Classes to International Performances

Within three months, the number of people wishing to join the classes exceeded Sanou’s capacity. He saw that the training affected not only the students’ dancing skills but also their emotional well-being, restoring their confidence and joy.

When we performed before an audience of hearing people, tears appeared in the eyes of 40 or 50 spectators. They said, “It’s incredible that this is possible.”

– Yaya Sanou

Burkina Faso is home to around 55,000 deaf people. That is approximately 0.23% of the country’s population, which stands at about 23.4 million. Over time, the method began to be used not only with deaf and hard-of-hearing people but also with participants with motor and sensory impairments.

In 2016, Sanou founded the nonprofit organization “Art Beyond Disability,” which works to promote cultural inclusion. Three years later, the Fientan troupe he founded, made up exclusively of deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers, presented a production titled “The Dance of the Deaf.”

In 2023, the troupe won the gold medal in the creative dance competition at the ninth Francophone Games in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In Kinshasa, the dancers performed “Adept of My Essence.” Today, the troupe’s members tour African and European countries independently.

How “Vibra-Signe” Is Changing the Way We Think About Dance

Aïcha Coulibaly was among the competition’s winners. She began studying “Vibra-Signe” at the age of 12 and at first, like many other students, could not feel the rhythm. Over the course of a decade, Coulibaly became a master of the method, and this year she toured Spain with her solo project “Aïcha’s Shadow,” devoted to transforming pain into creative strength.

She has an incredible stage presence. When I compare where she began with who she has become today, I tell myself: “We created a miracle.”

– Yaya Sanou

Sanou is also working on a production titled “A N’yenfo.” Its name means “Say It” in Bambara. The performance brings together dancers without disabilities and people with hearing, visual, and physical impairments.

For the choreographer, this production represents a society in which art is open to everyone. In his view, “Vibra-Signe” can not only make dance more accessible to people with hearing impairments but also broaden our understanding of how rhythm can be transmitted and perceived.