In Dakar, dance is an essential element of ceremonial and festive life. But beyond the festive dimension, the professionalisation of dance generates new opportunities for social mobility. Half-way between the construction of the individual subject and that of the social body, this contribution explores the transformation of bodily practices in Dakar’s dance circles. Muscular bodies, bodies at times reduced to tiny figures and « natural-looking » skin are all carefully cultivated as part of individual extraversion strategies. Whereas these practices may lead to social success, at times they also generate painful rifts, which are exacerbated by extreme contrasts between the demands of the global musical circuit and the social gaze on the bodies of the artists.