As gray skies and unseasonably cold temperatures settled over Downtown Brooklyn during Memorial Day weekend, the spirit of Brooklyn Academy of Music’s DanceAfrica 2026 still pulsed through the streets around BAM
The weather may have dampened attendance at portions of the outdoor bazaar, but it did little to quiet the drums, movement, and sense of cultural communion that has defined DanceAfrica for nearly half a century.
Dancers: Ndere Troupe
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes
Now in its 49th year — and standing on the doorstep of its milestone 50th anniversary in 2027 — DanceAfrica once again transformed Brooklyn into an international crossroads of African diasporic culture.
This year’s festival centered Uganda, entitled “Uganda: Umoja/Mirembe/Obulungi (Unity/Peace/Beauty)!” under the artistic direction of Abdel R. Salaam.
Inside the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, audiences were transported far away from the rain-soaked sidewalks outside
Uganda’s famed Ndere Troupe delivered a sweeping presentation of traditional East African dance, music, storytelling, and ceremonial movement that celebrated the diversity of Uganda’s many ethnic communities.
The production mixed thunderous percussion with intricate footwork, acrobatics, and joyous call-and-response sequences that repeatedly drew standing ovations from the crowd.
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes
The performance program also featured Brooklyn’s own Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation and its Bessie Award-winning Asase Yaa African American Dance Theater, alongside the DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers and The Billie’s Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble.
According to BAM, the festival aimed to “honor the East African nation’s past, celebrate its present, and rejoice in its future.” That spirit was visible throughout the weekend as performers fused sacred tradition with contemporary African diasporic expression.
Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes
For Salaam, who has spent decades shepherding DanceAfrica after the passing of founder Dr. Chuck Davis, the festival remains both artistic presentation and spiritual gathering.
Salaam told BK Reader "This year’s performance was a labor of love. My intention was to take our audience through artistic levels of consciousness that would be entertaining, inspirational, and healing all at once."
Outside the theater, however, the festival faced a less forgiving reality. The beloved DanceAfrica Bazaar, a cornerstone of the annual celebration, battled steady rain, chilly winds, and difficult vending conditions across the Memorial Day weekend.
The bazaar, advertised by BAM as a “RAIN OR SHINE!” event featuring more than 150 vendors from around the world, still drew determined crowds, though some merchants reported slower foot traffic than in previous warmer years without the wetness.
Rows of vendors selling African fabrics, jewelry, art, incense, books, and handmade garments, Caribbean cuisine, and cultural artifacts lined the streets surrounding BAM, extending to the downtown entry.
Even with the difficult weather, the bazaar retained the communal atmosphere that has long made DanceAfrica more than a performance series. For many folks, the event functions as a yearly family reunion and unofficial kickoff to summer; one rooted in African heritage, Black cultural pride, and intergenerational exchange.
This year’s festival was a entertainment spectacle, but with another DanceAfrica in the books, Salaam was looking to the future, telling BK Reader "As we approach our 50th year I pray that our culture continues to heal us, enabling us to come forth as light – creating a community and a world that reflects the best of who we are
Even amid rain clouds and cold air, DanceAfrica 2026 reminded Brooklyn that the festival’s heartbeat remains stronger than the weather.
