African Dance Styles

Carlinhos Batá, born ins São Paulo, started his dancing career with the company Batá Koto. Since 1999, he lives and works as an artist in Europe. Together with Marcelo Nascimento and Sergio Saira, he brought the much vaunted Brazilian way of life and the sambo boom to Düsseldorf. In 2009, he finished his dance pedagogy training at the German Institute for Dance Pedagogy (DIT) and also completed a degree in dance culture V.I.E.W. (mediation, staging, evaluation and knowledge) at the Sporthochschule Cologne. Since then, he has been involved in numerous projects at schools and cultural institutions conceptually as well as in the implementation with a focus on inclusion. Carlinhos teaching is in high demand, as his classes are characterized by his great dedication for the dance and music of Brazil.

Diene Waaw Waaw Sagna ist im Senegal aufgewachsen und gründete dort 2008 auch seine eigene Tanzkompanie Yaye Dib Dance. Diene Sagna gilt als Meister des Sabar-Tanzes und arbeitete u.a. mit Künstler*innen wie Baaba Maal, Youssou N`Dour, und Mory Kanté und Coumba Gawlo Seck zusammen. Zudem organisiert er seit 2011 regelmäßig Tanzworkshops im Senegal, die sich an ein internationales Publikum wenden. Diene wird für seine sowohl freundliche und motivierende als auch herausfordernde Unterrichtsweise geschätzt. Sein Unterricht heißt jede*n willkommen. Für ihn als Dozent und Künstler ist das tanzhaus nrw ein wichtiger Ort der Begegnung: „Das tanzhaus nrw ist für mich wie eine große Familie, in der alle an eine Sache glauben – den Tanz.“ Mit Hingabe widmet sich Diene, der heute in Bonn lebt, der Förderung westafrikanischer Kunst und Kultur. Aufführungen, Kurse, Workshops und andere Veranstaltungen führten ihn bisher in 40 Länder.

Oboja Adu is a dancer, choreographer, musician and DJ from Ghana. As Ghanaian National Dance Champion, he first represented his country at the “Concord Malibu Worlddance Championship”. He won one of the most coveted awards for dancers in West Africa with his group Five Shining Stars in 1989. Since 1994, Oboja has been teaching at tanzhaus nrw. Additionally, he is a music producer as well as chairman and founder of the “ENIJE for Africa” association that holds the annual Düsseldorf “Africa Days”.

As a world champion in house dance, OG successfully participates in numerous urban dance events worldwide as a dancer, instructor and choreographer.
As a 4-time winner of “Juste Debout Germany” (Düsseldorf) and 2-time solo winner of the House Dance World Championship “House Dance Forever” in Amsterdam and Tokyo, he represents his house dance community “House Roots” (winner of Deep House Mission/Paris 2019) and also the freestyle house dance scene throughout Germany.
As a freestyle dancer and sought-after jury member, he gives workshops online and on location at various urban dance events.
His house style is based on “House Feeling”, in which elements of African, Latin and especially Capoeira are recognizable.

Paul Damiano is a passionate dancer and choreographer from Nairobi, Kenya. He has been inspiring audiences with his dance art since 2012. In recent years his artistic path has taken him to Germany. Here he persistently pursues his goal of gaining international experience as a dancer and bringing his artistic vision to life. Paul Damiano specializes in the expressive forms of Afrohouse and Krump, captivating audiences with his strong presence and impressive personality. As an experienced professional dancer, he has demonstrated his skills not only in Germany, but also in Kenya, Poland and the Philippines. There he taught various Afrohouse workshops. In addition, he has represented the Afrohouse and Krump style at various battles, and thanks to his unique expertise he has already judged several dance battles, including the Bar Battle at Theater Oberhausen. In various renowned dance schools, including the JC Academy in Düsseldorf, Line Up in Cologne and Urban Art Compley in Wuppertal, Paul has not only inspired numerous students, but also gained valuable experience in the art of teaching. Last year he represented his dance style Afrohouse with expression and passion at Redbull Dance Your Style in Munich as an invited dancer.

Wilhelmina aka Willie Stark zählt zu den besten House-Tänzerinnen Frankreichs. Sie choreografiert Shows in ganz Europa und nahm an vielen Battles teil, darunter Juste Debout Paris und Summer Dance Forever. Seit 2014 teilt Willie ihre Passion für House Dance und Afro Beats als Dozentin am tanzhaus nrw. „Egal ob Anfänger*in oder Profi – bei meinen Kursen geht es darum einen neuen Stil samt seiner Kultur kennenzulernen, um Gemeinschaft und Austausch, darum, dass sich alle wohlfühlen und Spaß miteinander haben.“, sagt Willie.