Marietou Thiam is the artistic director of Sencirk, a leading Senegalese circus troupe. By CARMEN ABD ALI (AFP)
Marietou Thiam's slender figure, suspended in the air on a hoop, twists and turns under the spellbound gaze of the spectators of the first ever circus festival in Dakar.
Thiam is the artistic director - and one of only two female members - of Sencirk, the leading Senegalese circus troupe that organized the festival.
The 29-year-old first moved to Dakar for her studies, but left that life behind to join the circus.
Thiam rises in his house in the village of Ngor. By CARMEN ABD ALI (AFP)
Her family never approved of this decision. But when he's on stage, Thiam has no regrets.
It is carried by the magic of the moment - and the importance of Sencirk's mission.
The circus company also functions as a place of learning for orphans and children from low-income families.
It offers them a chance to learn new skills, find a sense of community – and have a little fun.
One of the teachers, Malick, says that Sencirk changed his life.
Malick, a 30-year-old acrobat from Guinea, trains on a Dakar beach. By CARMEN ABD ALI (AFP)
The 30-year-old man came to Senegal from Guinea in 2015 and lived on the streets until he came across society.
Now, thanks to his teaching, he can afford to rent an apartment in Ngor, a village district in Dakar.
On a clear May afternoon on the beach, Ngor Malick leaps into the air and appears to fly away, head over heels, his feet seeming to touch the bright white sun.
Malick, at the top of his pyramid. By CARMEN ABD ALI (AFP)
One acrobatic performance leads to another, and suddenly Malick and his group form a human pyramid.
He is both an artist and a teacher, and he shares his passion with children in need - children who might one day take on the mantle of Malick and Marieta.
Soon it will be their turn to climb the pyramid and reach for the stars.
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