At a place near the beginning. Germaine Acogny / Michaël Serre

This piece explores, through dance, the sediments of Germaine Acogny's history and that of Africa itself through the prism of tragedy.

A solo by Germaine Acogny

Jant Bi

This proposal raises a dialogue on fundamental, archaic issues. It is a powerful and uncompromising dialogue between contemporary Africa and the tragic ancient world. Through her testimony and her dance, translated into movement and breath, Germaine Acogny shows that it is still possible to start over, but that a prior struggle of the mind against itself is necessary. At a time when grand ideologies cannot provide an identity for the individual, it is essential to engage in a dialogue with one's inner self. This work is a testimony on stage about breathlessness and movement, a face-to-face encounter between loneliness on stage and the intimacy of each spectator.

ARTISTIC CREDITS

Concept and staging: Mikaël Serre

Choreography: Germaine Acogny

Choreography assistant: Patrick Acogny

Set design: Maciej Fiszer

Costumes: Johanna Diakhate-Rittmeyer

Music composed and performed by Fabrice Bouillon "LaForest"

Video: Sébastien Dupouey

Lighting: Sébastien Michaud

Technical direction: Marco Wehrspann

Texts: Togoun Servais Acogny, Les récits d’Aloopho by Togoun Servais Acogny, Germaine Acogny, Medea by Euripides, staging and adaptation of texts: Mikaël Serre

Production: JANT-BI, Senegal

Co-production: Les Théâtres de la Ville du Luxembourg / Théâtre de la Ville, Paris / Institut Français, Paris Venue and Co-production: La Ferme du Buisson, Scène Nationale de Marne-la-Vallée Venue: Le Centquatre, Paris

GERMAINE ACOGNY

Senegalese and French, Germaine Acogny is considered "the mother of contemporary African dance." From 1977 to 1982, she was artistic director of Mudra Afrique, created by Maurice Béjart and President L.S. Senghor in Dakar. After Mudra Afrique closed in 1982, she danced, choreographed, and taught all over the world, becoming a true ambassador for African dance and culture.

In 1997, Germaine Acogny was appointed artistic director of the Danse d’Afrique en Création section in Paris. In 2004, with her husband Helmut Vogt, she created the Centre International de Danses Traditionnelles et Contemporaines d’Afrique, the Ecole des Sables, in Senegal. It is a place of exchange and professional training for dancers from Africa and around the world. 

Since 1998, Germaine Acogny has regularly created solos for herself, and since 2004, choreographies for her company JANT-BI, with which she tours successfully around the world.

Germaine Acogny is a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite, Officier des Arts et Lettres, Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur, and Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic. She is also a Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Lion and an Officier des Arts et Lettres of the Republic of Senegal.

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