As the 18 members of the National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique move across the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (BAM) fourth-floor rehearsal studio, their bodies mirroring the compelling rhythms of the drummers and other musicians clustered at the far end of the room, they dance with such forcefulness that the floor shakes and the room is electric. It is clear DanceAfrica Artistic Director Abdel Salaam has made a thrilling choice for this year’s annual cultural celebration.
“Mozambique: Movement! Magic! Manifestation!” headlines the dance performance series at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, which runs from May 23–26 and is the centerpiece of this festive event, founded by Baba Chuck Davis. This year, it highlights the history, movement, and traditions of Mozambique, where artistic expression is a powerful form of cultural memory, spiritual connection, and resilience. Under the artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam, this year’s performance features traditional works — including the annual Memorial Tribute to the Ancestors. The internationally recognized Song & Dance Company of Mozambique will be showcased alongside Mama Coumba Saaraba, the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, and the Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.
The dance program is only one of the many highlights of a full slate of performances, films, dance classes, and community events over Memorial Day weekend.
“We auditioned five companies,” Salaam said in explaining part of the complex process involved in choosing whom to include when DanceAfrica, BAM’s longest-running program and the nation’s largest festival of African dance and culture, returns for its 48th year. “Mozambique is celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence from colonialism under Portugal.”
Salaam said that inviting this East African company to perform was meant to “expose New York’s DanceAfrica audiences to different places on the continent” and was also very timely. Mozambique gained its independence 50 years ago, on June 25, 1975, as a result of organized resistance against centuries of Portuguese colonial rule. Mozambique followed the lead of a host of continental African nations (including Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Gambia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Zaire — formerly Belgian-held Belgian Congo, among others) in breaking the chains of exploitation of their human and natural resources and reclaiming their sovereignty and their culture.
Artistic Director Abel Fumo and Producer Lindo Cuna described the performance of dances that will reflect Mozambique’s history, spirituality, and resilience while serving as a powerful force in the process of knitting together the people of the country’s many multicultural, multi-lingua provinces.
“Mozambique is a very big country,” said Abel, “and we are bringing 35 minutes of non-stop dance and music from many different provinces in our country. We are bringing Xigubo, a warrior’s dance, that is deeply rooted in Mozambique’s legacy of resistance, and historically performed by fighters preparing for battle. Then there is Tufo, for the ladies, where they show us beautiful, fluid movements and percussive clapping. Ngalanga is a celebratory dance traditionally showcased at festivals and gatherings, embodying joy and communal spirit.”
The program also includes Mapiko, a mask dance from Cape Legado, in the north of Mozambique, and Nyau, dances that highlight Mozambique’s diverse traditions — from the dramatic storytelling of masked performances to the powerful rhythms of drumming and movement.
Underscoring the power of dance in nation-building, Lindo said dance has played a major role in the process by recalling a legendary moment when the country was embroiled in a decade-long civil war and the dance company gave a performance in the war zone. “I wasn’t there, but as the story goes, the company arrived and the fighters, armed with guns, told them, ‘If you are coming for political reasons, you will die.’ What happened was because the dance speaks to everyone, at the end of the show, all of them put down their guns and were dancing with the company because we were talking about peace, not fighting among brothers. That was where the people saw that the company can teach using the dance, and even someone who doesn’t speak the language can understand the message.”
Dancer, choreographer, and teacher Maria José Gonçalves, a 33-year veteran of the company, started training with the National Dance School when she was 8 years old and, in addition to performing with the company, also teaches ballet, modern, and traditional dance. In describing the critically important role the dance plays in the community, she said, “Over the years, the company helped inform people about diseases like malaria and AIDS. For example, at a time when some people in some parts of Mozambique didn’t have information about AIDS, we took this piece called Amatodox around the country to remote places to enlighten them. Amatodox refers to a man who likes all the women. It was interesting how the people understood the message about AIDS because we made the information accessible by using traditional dances to help save lives.”
While the messages might change over the years, Abdel Salaam said, “What strikes me is that in very challenging times, this company shows what we all need: the spirit of activism and the sense of community that led them to their independence and rebirth. It is the very thing that DanceAfrica attempts to do every year and what it was created for by Baba Chuck Davis, who was, among other things, a cultural ambassador.
“I’ve been involved in DanceAfrica since its inception and when Baba Chuck transitioned, that he and the ancestors opened the way for me to be a part of this rich lineage is so special. Chuck always told me, ‘Do it your way, but make sure that you balance out the importance of tradition while emphasizing the importance of who we are now, because Africa is dynamic, the diaspora is dynamic, and you have to understand who we are now to see where we are going.’”
In that spirit, DanceAfrica 2025 continues the tradition of being a vibrant community event that extends beyond the stage, offering experiences in dance classes, film screenings, art, and cultural exchange in community with the Billie Holiday Theatre at Restoration Plaza, Weeksville Heritage Center, Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and Film Festival.
DanceAfrica Bazaar transforms the streets around BAM into a vibrant marketplace with more than 200 vendors, while dance classes offer hands-on engagement with African movement traditions. This year’s festival also features a new visual arts installation by Mozambican artist Cassi Namoda, presented with MoCADA, along with an artist talk where Namoda will discuss her work and creative process in conversation with Amy Andrieux, the organization’s executive director .
FilmAfrica, curated by the African Film Festival, returns with a selection of films from across the continent, adding to the festival’s immersive exploration of African and diasporic culture.
For the full DanceAfrica 2025 lineup, tickets, and registration for free events, visit BAM.org.