Germaine Acogny / Mikaël Serre
Somewhere at the Beginning
19.02 – 20.02.2022
Through dance, stories and the projection of photos and film, the Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny evokes both the history of her family and that of West Africa in this committed autobiographical solo. The performance questions the place of women, the friction between tradition and emancipation and how identity is more of a path than an end point.
• Germaine Acogny, considered the founder of contemporary African dance, has been creating performances with her company Jant-Bi since 1998. She founded the renowned dance school Ecole des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, which became an important international centre for contemporary dance. She was awarded a Golden Lion of dance at the 2021 Venice Biennale. Watch a video portrait of Acogny here.
"The 74-year-old 'mother of contemporary African dance' hits you full in the diaphragm with her overwhelming solo, pierces your heart and excites your nerves." - Theaterkrant
an elegantly intense autobiographical solo- New York Times
choreography Germaine Acogny | direction Mikaël Serre | choreography, assistence Patrick Acogny | decor Maciej Fiszer | costumes Johanna Diakhate-Rittmeyer | video Sébastien Dupouey | music, composition & realisation Fabrice Bouillon « LaForest» | lighting design Sébastien Michaud | technique Marco Wehrspann | performed by Germaine Acogny | script Togoun Servais Acogny, Aloopho, Germaine Acogny, Euripides (Medea), changes Mikaël Serre | production JANT-BI | coproduction Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg / Théâtre de la Ville, Paris / Institut Français, Paris
