DANCE THEATER
US Premiere
Thu, Sep 26* at 7pm
Fri, Sep 27 at 7pm
Sat, Sep 28 at 7pm
*Post-performance
conversation on Sep 26 with
Okwui Okpokwasili
La MaMa
Ellen Stewart Theatre 66 East 4th Street, NYC
Ticket Info
FIAF Members $20
Non-Members $25
Students/Seniors $20
La MaMa Members $10
"Mother of Contemporary African Dance hits you in the midriff with her overwhelming solo, pierces your heart and stimulates all your nerves."
— Theaterkrant
Senegalese choreographer Germaine Acogny presents the US premiere of her powerhouse solo, SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING.
Co-created and directed by Mikaël Serre, this unflinching and brave work traces African history interwoven with her own life narrative. Acogny uses the framework of Greek tragedy to convey her personal journey from her upbringing in Senegal through her “exile” in Europe to her eventual return to Africa.
Founder and director of the renowned Ecole des Sables in Senegal, Acogny, who is now in her 70s, has shaped a new generation of dancers and choreographers in Africa and around the globe.
65 min
In French with
English supertitles
View additional events presented as part of BRIDGING here.
View Production Credits
Concept & Direction: Mikaël Serre
Choreography: Germaine Acogny
Assistant Choreography: Patrick Acogny
Music composed and performed live: Fabrice Bouillon «LaForest»
Video: Sébastien Dupouey
Set Design: Maciej Fiszer
Costumes: Johanna Diakhate-Rittmeyer
Lighting Design: Sébastien Michaud
Technical Director: Marco Wehrspann
Text by Togoun Servais Acogny, Aloopho, Germaine Acogny, Euripides (Medea), adaptation by Mikaël Serre
Production: JANT-BI, Senegal
Co-Production: Les Théâtres de la Ville du Luxembourg / Théâtre de la Ville, Paris / Institut Français, Paris
Residency and Co-production: La Ferme du Buisson, scène nationale de Marne-la-Vallée
Residency : Le Centquatre, Paris


SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING is presented as part of BRIDGING: An International Dialogue on Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts, an initiative co-developed and supported by the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations in collaboration with FIAF. Launched during Crossing the Line 2016, BRIDGING offers international perspectives to evaluate policies and practices in an effort to move beyond simple acknowledgement of cultural diversity to achieve genuine equality in the arts in our shifting cultural landscape.
SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING is supported by FUSED (French US Exchange in Dance), a program developed by FACE Foundation and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States with the support of the Florence Gould Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Institut français-Paris, The French Ministry of Culture, and private donors.
Photos
SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING ©Thomas Dorn
Germaine Acogny © Antoine Tempé
Mikael Serre © Andreas Schmidt