In ANCRAGE (anchoring), the indoor version, and DUO SENCIRK, the outdoor version, a man awakens and encounters an alien being. Performed by two acrobats, Modou Fata Touré and Ibrahima Camara, they measure, observe and confront each other, then mutually tame each other. When they find their anchorage, a world arises where nature and man merge, take root in each other, and harmony is created. Modou Fata Touré questions Europe and Africa: What if contemporary circus was not only European, and what if African circus was not exclusively traditional? Through ANCRAGE, Modou and Ibrahima reclaim the circus's African identity. The local materials of Senegal—bags of rice, traditional brooms, wooden ladders—join raw materials like earth, sand, aluminum, and straw. SenCirk's unique approach shares personal stories that West Africans—and others—can relate to, from clandestine migration to Europe to the experience of living as a talibé runaway.
Founded in 2009 by Modou Fata Touré, SenCirk is Senegal's first circus organization, encompassing a company, school, and performance tent. Touré, who as a teenager discovered circus arts at Sweden's Cirkus Cirkör, transformed himself from a child beggar to a leading figure in contemporary African circus. Rather than pursuing a career in Europe, he returned home to establish SenCirk, which uniquely blends traditional Senegalese culture with contemporary circus arts. The company employs a dozen professional artists from diverse backgrounds and provides free workshops at shelters for street children and women. SenCirk maintains its African identity by crafting equipment from local materials and training future circus professionals while supporting children in need throughout Dakar.