FABA Spotlights: A Star — Hypeman ft. Cortex, Dexter, Alioune & Adji Cissoko in Senegal

Award-winning filmmaker Yoram Savion explores the urban dance scene in Dakar in his new collaborative film with local Senegalese dancers.

Still from the dance film, A Star — Hypeman ft. Cortex, Dexter, Alioune & Adji Cissoko in Senegal

Words and visuals by YAK Films

While traveling to Senegal for a film project, Yoram Savion decided to document the dance scene in Dakar. Savion is the co-founder of Yak Films, a company dedicated to the documentation of the global street dance culture.

Savion and Adji Cissoko, a German-Senegalese ballerina who accompanied him on his travels, attended an Electrafrique Afrobeats party in Dakar organized by DJ Cortega — a seasoned DJ and a long-time collaborator with OkayAfrica , who has built a solid reputation on the Afrobeats and House scene in the diaspora and on the continent.

Portraits of dancers on the set of the film. ©YAK Films

Cortega recommended this music track “Hypeman” by A-Star and referred them to local dancers in Dakar––Cortex, Alioune and Dexter. They all met up in Ouakam and made it happen.

This is the essence of what a street dance video is, the music, the visuals and the dance, coming together under the sun and on the sand.

Watch the full video here:

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