In a Festival that deeply explores African dance, the return of Germaine Acogny was a highlight. Acogny, a historic pioneer and since 1996, the guiding force behind the International Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dances/École des Sables in Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, brings her company Jant-Bi, founded in 1998, as a result of L’École des Sables.
Unforgettable, also for the discussions it provoked, was their debut work, *Le coq est mort*, created by Acogny in collaboration with Susanne Linke and Avi Kaiser. This piece raised questions about the representation of African dancers and people of color in our globalized society. It was followed by *Fagaala*, a protest against the Rwandan genocide, created by Acogny with Kota Yamazaki. Now comes the third work by Jant-Bi: *Waxtaan*, which represents a bold dive into African tradition, reevaluating the past and making the empowering force of origins visible through the physicality and strong rhythm of the dance.
Co-created by Germaine Acogny and her son Patrick, *Waxtaan* starts with the revival of traditional dances from various African countries, including Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Benin, Congo, and Senegal. However, the Acogny duo revives tradition with a fresh perspective that avoids folkloric embellishment, aiming for a more electrifying rebirth. The richness of forms and rhythms is present but deconstructed and restructured into a decidedly contemporary compositional framework. *Waxtaan* also includes a critique of African politics. In jackets and ties, the dancers perform a satire against ministers, presidents, and men of power. This is all supported by five musicians from École des Sables, directed by Oumar Fandy Diop, who play a score based on traditional dance rhythms using African instruments such as the sabar and djembé.
www.jantbi.org
