Baye McNeil: From Dakar to Tokyo: A Senegalese Musician Dances All the Way to Japan!

This month, Black Eye is proud to present the story of a Senegalese Muslim - who just happens to bear my namesake. He came to Japan 14 years ago, and brought the rich culture, music and dance of Senegal with him. And Japan is the better for it.

Here's a sneak peak:

Baye Fall’s big break coincided with his graduation from the cultural center. Open auditions were being held to find 11 new dancers to join the National Ballet of Senegal. “One-thousand-five-hundred people auditioned for these positions. They only needed three male dancers and eight female dancers,” says Abdou. “But people came from all over the country, every town and village. Because if you became a part of the National Ballet, you can get great pay and many opportunities. And only through the National Ballet can you get a license to teach African dance anywhere in the world.” The judges chose Abdou as one of the three males. It was a very big deal in Senegal. The winners were in all the newspapers and became household names. As part of the National Ballet, in 2000 he toured Europe as a cultural representative of Senegal, performing in Italy, France, Germany and Portugal. And, in 2002, it was the National Ballet that brought him to Japan.