Yaya Sanou developed and refined techniques to help Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in his native Burkina Faso to engage in contemporary dance routines. Writing for the AP News on 2 October 2026, Elia Borras explained how Mr. Sanous’s work using what he calls Vibra-Signe has led to the dance company, Fientan, to earn international acclaim.
Ms. Borras’s article, entitled “In Burkina Faso, deaf dancers have a unique way to follow the rhythm and fulfill their dreams,” begins in this way:
The music is turned all the way up, sending vibrations through the rubber-covered stage as Yaya Sanou translates the beat with his face and gestures for a small group gathered around in Burkina Faso’s western city of Bobo-Dioulasso.
The group of deaf and non-verbal dancers follow the rhythm and music through the vibrations and body gestures, part of a local technique created by Sanou to make it possible to follow music even without hearing it.
The Vibra-Signe technique has gained popularity in and outside Burkina Faso with its use by members of the Fientan dance company, which Sanou, a dance tutor and choreographer, founded a decade ago in Bobo-Dioulasso for deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers.
AfricaNews published a video on YouTube showing ~2 min of dancing.
Steven Midjola of Africanews, published an earlier report on the Fientan Company. In “Vibra-Signe: a dance technique for the deaf and hard of hearing born in Burkina Faso,” from 8 August 2026, he provided additional comments by Mr. Sanou.
Other coverage of this story:
Ms. Borras’s story was also carried by the Washington Post 2 October 2026.
Maya Baylis and Jack Bantock of CNN published “For these deaf dancers, rhythm isn’t heard — it’s felt through Vibra-Signe.”
Joel Kouam of DW for 21 September 2026 reported “Ces sourds et malentendants ont le rythme dans la peau: Malgré leur handicap, ces jeunes artistes burkinabè exécutent des mouvements parfaitement synchronisés sans entendre la musique grâce à une technique appelée ‘Vibra-Signe’” with a video of different people and a different dance.
In El Canbal de las Noticias, see “Bailarines sordos de Burkina Faso crean una técnica para sentir la música: La compañía Fientan emplea vibraciones, tacto y señales visuales para seguir el ritmo; su método Vibra-Signe ya obtuvo reconocimiento en los Juegos Francófonos” (no date).