Workshop Modern African Dance Workshop by Germaine Acogny

Germaine Acogny © Jean Lebreton

16.09.2024
14:00-17:00

Goethe-Institut Tokyo, Saal

On the occasion of the Ecole des Sables' performances in Tokyo

Application Closed.

The Tokyo stages of Pina Bausch's "The Rite of Spring" will come along with "Hommage to the Ancestors," choreographed and performed by Germaine Acogny, known as the "Mother of African Contemporary Dance." Making use of the precious occasion of Acogny coming to Japan, the Goethe-Institut Tokyo organizes a dance workshop based on her unique technique of modern African dance.   
 Acogny’s technique is based on blending Traditional West African Dance with Western Contemporary Dance. It encourages dancers to discover their own unique means of expression.  Through movements inspired by nature and African daily life, the exercises emphasize breathing and grounding to expand the dancers' physical vocabulary and deepen their connection to the earth. In collaboration with Tokyo-based percussionist Latyr Sy, the workshop will enhance sensory awareness and the philosophy of the “joyful body”. 

Eligibility: Open to anyone with experience as a professional or semi-professional dancer, as well as amateurs with a certain level of dance experience.
Capacity: Approximately 25 participants
*If the number of applicants exceeds capacity, participants will be selected by lottery. Applicants will be notified about the results of their application e-mail by the end of August. 

Co-operated by PARCO Co.,Ltd.

Biographies


Germaine Acogny
Senegalese-French dancer, choreographer, and teacher known as the "Mother of Contemporary African Dance." She studied at the École Simon Siegel in Paris and established her first dance studio in Dakar in 1968. Combining the influences of dance passed down from her grandmother, a Yoruba priestess with knowledge of African traditional dance and Western dance, Acogny created her unique form of modern African dance.

From 1977 to 1982, she served as the Artistic Director of Mudra Afrique (Dakar), and in 1985, she moved to Toulouse, where she and her husband, Helmut Vogt, established the "Studio École Ballet Théâtre du 3è Monde." She returned to Senegal in 1995 and founded the "École des Sables," an international center for traditional and contemporary African dance education.

In 1998, she founded her dance company "Jant-Bi." Her major works include "Les écailles de la mémoire - Scales of memory" (2008), co-created with Urban Bush Women New York. "Fagaala," which deals with the Rwandan genocide, won the Bessie Award in 2007. Other major works include "Sahel" (1987), "YE'OU" (1988) (winner of the 1991 London Contemporary Dance and Performance Award), "Tchouraï" (2001), "Bintou Were - a Sahel Opera" (2007), "Songook Yaakaar" (2010), "Mon élue noire - Sacre no.2" (2014) (choreographed by Olivier Dubois to the original score of "The Rite of Spring," winner of the Bessie Award in 2018), and "A un endroit du début" (2015).

As an ambassador of African dance and culture, she collaborates with educational institutions and dance centers worldwide and teaches masterclasses.

Latyr Sy (Percussion)
Latyr Sy was born on the island of Goree, a world heritage site in Senegal. At his home country, he has continuously performed at ceremonies for VIPs such as Nelson Mandela, François Mitterrand, George H.W. Bush, and Pope John Paul II.
After his re-location to  Japan in 1995, he started to collaborate with artists from the field of traditional Japanese art, such as Noh musician Shonosuke Okura and Kyogen performer Mannojo Nomura. He also performed with the dancer Kaiji Moriyama at the “Japan-Mekong Exchange Year 2009 Commemorative Performance” in Vietnam. Organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, he has participated in international tours to Cuba, France, Germany, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Dijibouti and other countries.

For many years, he has performed with several renowned Japanese musicians such as Takako Shirai, Kiyoshiro Imawano, ORIGINAL LOVE, and Naoto Inti Raymi, and dancers, including the famous tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai and the Momoko Tani Ballet Company. He has performed at many official ceremonies and events, including the Emperor and Empress of Japan's commemorative banquet hosted by the Prime Minister, the Nagano Olympics, and the Aichi Expo.

 

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