The power of contemporary African dance arrives this Friday on the stage of the Museo Universidad de NavarraGermaine Acogny, considered the mother of this discipline. The veteran dancer and choreographer, who lives in Senegal, presents À un endroit du début(In a place of the beginning), this Friday at 7:30 p.m., closing of the third edition of the cycle Museo en Danza. The performance, staged by Mikaël Serre, is the only appointment of the French-Senegalese choreographer and dancer in Spain. After the extension of the permitted capacity, there are still tickets on sale (20 and 24 euros).

Acogny has presented to the media the show, which brings to Pamplona with his company Jant-Bi, on Thursday at the Hotel Blanca de Navarra and has valued the satisfaction of being able to share his work with the public even in times of pandemic: "We are very happy to be here. I have always said that dance is what makes us exist and what will allow us to win". At the meeting, the artist was accompanied by Mikaël Serre; and by Teresa Lasheras, assistant director of Performing Arts and Music at the Museum. 

"This cycle gives space to new talents but also to figures that constitute a reference in the history of dance. To the latter category belongs our guest, the most responsible for the fact that we can talk about contemporary African dance," Lasheras said.

THE PRISM OF TRAGEDY

For the choreographer, the only international guest of this edition, À un endroit du début is a "very personal show, like giving birth to myself again. Something that seemed very linked to my life has become something universal, very topical. It continues to surprise me how, despite the coronavirus, this show is very much in tune with current events". In this solo, Acogny explores the sediments of her history and of Africa, through the myth of tragedy, which connects with the classical myth of Medea.

The work was conceived in two residencies, between Senegal and France, with Mikaël Serre, based on a book written by the artist's father. "From the book and what she told me, I established a link with Medea, a family tragedy. The family is the basis of everything, from which we develop and build our history, our traces and our memory," explains Serre.

She also points out that this show is "political because it addresses the issues of the French colonial past through a personal, intimate prism, that of Germaine. I think it is important to start the work from oneself and address the conflicts. The play also vindicates minorities, their strength and resilience, their "constant struggle," in Acogny's words.

From this intergenerational dialogue, explains the choreographer, a rich work has emerged: "Mikaël's reading of the book made me discover aspects that I had simply overlooked. This external point of view was very positive and led to the emergence of this story in which there is a relationship with my father and the people around me".

The result is a piece in which narrative and movement are combined and intertwined with video and images. "I hope that everyone can extract an intimate experience. It is a show that has different levels of reading depending on each person. Everyone has to take ownership of it," notes Serre. In this line, Acogny stresses that "everyone has to be an interpreter according to his or her experience. There are dramas in every family.