Born in The Gambia in 1990, at the age of 14 Modou Fata Touré fled mistreatment at a Koranic school and found himself begging on the streets of Dakar. He was saved by the charity Empire des Enfants, which reintegrates children living on the streets. There, he channelled his energy through taekwondo and circus. In 2008, he left for Sweden, where he trained in acrobatics, trapeze and juggling.

Rather than forging a career in Europe, he chose to return to Empire des Enfants, where in 2009 he founded Senegal’s first circus: Sencirk. It is a charity that puts together shows, trains the professional circus artists of the future and provides assistance to children in Dakar suffering from severe social problems.

Having trained in the circus arts between Senegal and Sweden, Touré creates shows that combine African tradition with new European circus culture, in particular through great technical virtuosity and a mix of genres (circus arts, break dancing, gymnastics, etc.). His artistic inspirations are drawn from his experiences. His first show, Chiopite / évolution (2012), tells his story, from the Koranic school to the Empire des Enfants charity which saved him from the streets.

In 2018, Touré began a new chapter in that story with the construction of a permanent circus tent for his company, in Dakar. This pushed him to work differently, no longer creating a series of independent acts, but rather one undivided show based on this venue.

While anchored in Senegalese culture, Touré's performances have a strong global outlook. I'm a man, the troupe’s second show, in December 2013, featured four artists from the Cirque Électrique in Paris. United Africa, created two years later, included artists from all over the continent.

Today, Sencirk tours numerous festivals, both in Africa – Abidjan Intercultural Circus Festival in Abidjan, Rendez-Vous Chez Nous festival in Ouagadougou – and Europe, where the troupe is expected to perform at Circa (Auch), one of the continent’s top circus platforms, in October 2020.