Khalifa Babacar Top (he/him) is a Senegalese artist who began his dancing at a young age with Sabar in traditional ceremonies. His interests in storytelling with the body lead him to deepen his learning and seek out more African contemporary dance forms.

Top was a company member with Compagnie Jant-Bi for four years. He has worked with Regine Chopinot, Robyn Orlin, Mark Tompkins, Kristie Simon, Rosangela Slivestre, Rachel Erdos and Ido Tadmor. In 2013, he performed Bolero with Maurice Bejart Ballet Lausanne. Top has worked in collaboration with the Association Kaay Fecc in Dakar, Senegal to develop programming that exposes young dancers to a variety of dance forms. He currently teaches at Ecole des Sables. He has taught and performed throughout the continent of Africa, Europe and the USA.

He was selected as a resident choreographer at OMIArt Center in Hudson River Gen USA 2018. After this program, he decided to go back to his country and during that trip, he developed “Festival Jamm Gun Ay” where Senegalese artists have a platform to share their work. Drawn to choreography, he developed a company, Topdance Company, as a space for him to continue investigating the daily, as a black man. In the USA, he developed different collaborations and has been a teaching guest artist at Connecticut College, Hudson River, NYU, Cumbe Dance Center, Alvin Ailey and different teaching programs and performances at the Jamaican Center, Judson Church Movement Research, Botanical Garden Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn Plaza Dance Initiative for his latest project “Self reflection “ which also was selected at Dance On Camera Film Festival – 47th annual- at Lincoln Center.

 Now he is a member of Netta Yerushalmy Company and has worked with her at The Yard residency program, FSU Florida State University of Tallahassee, and at a recent premiere at Montclair State University.