SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING
Co-presented as part of Crossing the Line Festival,
produced by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Presented in French with English Supertitles
Review: An African Dance Matriarch Brings Out the Knives
Germaine Acogny, the “Mother of Contemporary African Dance,” 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. 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. As part of BRIDGING, she will teach a workshop with students of dance at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Acogny, past her seventies, remains a fighter.”
— Danser Canal Historique, 2018
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Fall Dance Preview: All the Ways to Fall for Dance This Autumn
Concept & Direction by Mikaël Serre
Choreography by Germaine Acogny
Assistant Choreography by Patrick Acogny
Music composed and performed live by Fabrice Bouillon «LaForest»
Video by Sébastien Dupouey
Set Design by Maciej Fiszer
Costumes by Johanna Diakhate-Rittmeyer
Lighting Design by Sébastien Michaud
Technical Director by 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.
ABOUT CROSSING THE LINE
FIAF supports national and international cultural practices by welcoming and nurturing new ideas and influential perspectives from around the world. FIAF critically maintains that practice through the Crossing the Line Festival by collaborating with leading cultural institutions in New York to present trailblazing local and international artists.
Since its inauguration in 2007, Crossing the Line has cultivated an increasingly large and diverse following, and received numerous accolades in the press including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Time Out New York, Artforum, and Frieze. Festival performances have earned Obie and Bessie awards.
Find out more on their website