Hip-hop music blasted over a portable speaker while half-a-dozen teenagers practiced their best breakdancing moves in Senagal's capital Dakar. They glided on their shins and jumped into the air, clutched their heels and struck midair poses.
Senegal's breakdancers were honing their craft ahead of the country's historic hosting of the Youth Olympic Games this month. It's the first time an Olympic event is being held on African soil.
I took the photo above last month as 15-year-old Suzanne Toure struck a breakdancing pose. She is the only girl on the Senegal National Sport Dance and Break Team. Three years ago, her little brother introduced her to breakdancing.
Dancers on the Senegalese team mix traditional moves into their routines from national styles such as mbalax and Yela, swirling their arms and legs in a windmill-like motion. "You can sense some American and European influence in our routines, yes, but there are also African dances. It's about mixing these African dances into the breaking," says coach Francis Simรฉon Gomis.
They see this as their chance to show the world what their nation can offer on the dance floor, and hope to win a medal on home turf.
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