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Aguibou Bougobali SANOU, assistant professor in ������Ƶ College’s Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, has been selected as one of 25 Dance/USA Artist Fellows for 2025. The honors dance and movement-based artists whose work demonstrates a sustained commitment to social change. Each fellowship includes an unrestricted $31,000 grant to support the artist’s ongoing creative practice.

A multidisciplinary artist from Burkina Faso, is a dancer, choreographer, musician, storyteller, and educator whose work crosses traditional and contemporary forms. He is the founder of the In-Out Dance and World Arts Festival and Ko-Don-So Bougobali SANOU (former Arts Green Culture Factory), an ecological and creative arts space in Burkina Faso. 

SANOU shares, “I do not want my trauma and sorrow to be the weight that pull me down. Instead, I use them as strength that can propel me to the sky so that I can fly and participate to the positive transformation of our families, communities, societies, cities, countries, world.”

SANOU’s choreographic work blends traditional Mandingo dance forms with Brazilian capoeira and experimental theatrical structures. His creative style is informed by global collaborations and deeply rooted in sacred and secular cultural practices of Burkina Faso. His projects have reached audiences and students across several continents, and his community-based dance rehabilitation program for civil prison inmates in Burkina Faso uses movement as a tool for healing, reintegration, and social transformation.

SANOU has received numerous international recognitions, including the Fulbright fellowship for artists in residence in the USA in 2018, the bronze medal for choreography at the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie in France, second prize at the 2012 Semaine Nationale de la Culture in Burkina Faso, and the Laurel Medal at the 2009 Delphic Games in Jeju, South Korea. In 2025, he choreographed and co-directed the opening and closing performances of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), one of the largest African film festivals in the world.

Dance/USA’s Fellowships to Artists program is one of the few national initiatives that provides unrestricted funding directly to independent artists. The program is supported by the Doris Duke Foundation.

In addition to the financial award, fellows are offered resources such as professional advising, photography support, accessibility services, and opportunities for collaborative reflection with other artists.

About the DFA Program 

At the heart of DFA is a commitment to center artists in shaping the program itself. The fellowship is co-designed through ongoing collaboration with artists who bring lived expertise to questions of policy, language, and process. Program Advisors (DFA Round One Artist Fellow) and (DFA Round Two Artist Fellow) contribute to all aspects of program design for 2024–2026. In advance of Round Three, DFA also convened groups of disabled artists and Indigenous artists to provide direct feedback on program guidelines and application process. More than 90% of DFA’s peer readers and panelists are working artists, ensuring that selection reflects field knowledge and community accountability. Importantly, DFA always compensates artists for their labor.

The current round of DFA is facilitated by Haowen Wang, Dance/USA Director of Regranting, with thought-partnership support from and , and is administered by Dance/USA. 

About the Doris Duke Foundation 

The mission of the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) is to build a more creative, equitable and sustainable future. We work across three areas: Arts & Culture; Nature; and Health & Well-being. Visit to learn more.

About Dance/USA 

Propelled by our belief that dance can inspire a more just and humane world, Dance/USA will amplify the power of dance to inform and inspire a nation where creativity and the field thrive. 

Established in 1982, Dance/USA champions an inclusive and equitable dance field by leading, convening, advocating, and supporting individuals and organizations. Dance/USA’s core programs are focused in the areas of engagement, advocacy, research, and preservation. Learn more about Dance/USA at.