Germaine Acogny

Germaine Acogny (born 1944) is a Senegalese French dancer, teacher and choreographer born in Benin, raised in Senegal and trained in France, Paris. Quotes I don’t think we can see the world through only one eye There doesn’t have to be a black side and a white side My power is using art to break through boundaries I’ve always said that there’s a place for everybody I don’t need to leave the stage to make room for other dancers, and my leaving doesn’t mean there will automatically be space for someone else Younger dancers need to make and take their own space We think about the future all the time, but it’s important to build ourselves into the past, too We need to work through forgiveness and not-forgetting If you can learn to be okay with your many identities, you can be in harmony with yourself and others Traversing a Life Through Movement, Text, and Film: Germaine Acogny by Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone 24 September 2019 It's that zest for life coupled with a hint of madness that allows me to do what I do The body is a reflection of nature We have brought Africa together through dance, something political leaders have not yet been able to do If you don't have roots, you can't grow Dance opens a window, but we need help to turn it into a door dance is the mother of all arts Even if we don't speak the same language, the body doesn't lie it's really important to open up Africa to Africans, but that doesn't mean excluding Europeans Moving the Continent: Germaine Acogny on Dance, Culture, and Africa's Creative Future 2 April 2026 We do not want to see black dance constrained we want black dance to establish the position of respect it deserve Germaine Acogny 2005 External Links Germanie Acogny