Go to main content
 
Mother of contemporary African dance Germaine Acogny to perform contrasting works in Hong Kong (with photos)
******************************************************************************************
     Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny will make her Hong Kong debut next week, performing the contrasting solo works "Somewhere at the Beginning" and "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" on November 17 and 19 respectively with her characteristic and compelling energy.
 
     Germaine Acogny, aged 73, is recognised globally as the original mover and shaker behind contemporary African dance. After studying in France in the 1960s and collaborating with renowned French choreographer Maurice Béjart for many years, Acogny drew on this experience to blend Western classical technique and modern dance with traditional African rhythms and styles to create a unique approach of her own.
 
     Directed by Mikaël Serre and backed by breathtaking live music remixing by Fabrice Bouillon, the autobiographical "Somewhere at the Beginning" is a multimedia mix of African legend and Greek mythology. Acogny brings together sound, images, objects and physical movement to engage in a dialogue with her grandmother, a Yoruba priestess, and her father who shied away from his African identity, as well as her own painful experiences. 
 
     French choreographer Olivier Dubois, known for his powerful and provocative pieces, created "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" especially for Acogny. The work seeks to draw the soul of Africa embedded within her into a revelatory encounter with composer Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" and stunningly reshapes previous perceptions of dance.
 
     Over the years, Acogny has received an array of prestigious awards and honours, including France's Commandeur dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a London Contemporary Dance and Performance Award and a New York Bessie Award. In 2014, she was named among the Top 50 Most Influential Africans in the World by pan-African Jeune Afrique magazine.
 
     The solo dance works "Somewhere at the Beginning" and "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" are among the programmes of the World Cultures Festival 2017 - Vibrant Africa. "Somewhere at the Beginning" will be held at 8pm on November 17 while "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" will be held at 3pm on November 19. They will be performed at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. Tickets priced at $160, $220 and $280 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the World Cultures Festival 2017 - Vibrant Africa is running from October 20 to November 19. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.worldfestival.gov.hk.
 
Ends/Thursday, November 9, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:47
NNNN
Archives   Yesterday's Press Releases   Back to Index Page Back to top
Today's Press Releases  

Photo

Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny will make her Hong Kong debut by performing the contrasting solo works "Somewhere at the Beginning" and "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" on November 17 and 19 respectively with her characteristic and compelling energy. The autobiographical "Somewhere at the Beginning" is a multimedia mix of African legend and Greek mythology. Acogny brings together sound, images, objects and physical movement to engage in a dialogue with her grandmother, a Yoruba priestess, and her father who shied away from his African identity, as well as her own painful experiences.
Senegalese dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny will make her Hong Kong debut by performing the contrasting solo works "Somewhere at the Beginning" and "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" on November 17 and 19 respectively with her characteristic and compelling energy. "Mon élue noire-sacre #2 (My Black Chosen One)" seeks to draw the soul of Africa embedded within her into a revelatory encounter with composer Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" and stunningly reshapes previous perceptions of dance.