Bio:
Olivier Dubois (FR)
He has been Director of the Ballet du Nord since January 1, 2014 and was named one of the 25 best dancers in the world in 2011 by the magazine Dance Europe. Olivier Dubois is a triple threat of unique talents, blending creation, performance and pedagogy.
He created his first solo in 1999. He has danced with many renowned choreographers and directors, among them Karine Saporta, Angelin Preljocaj, Charles Cré-Ange, the Cirque du Soleil, Jan Fabre, Dominique Boivin or Sasha Waltz. Since 2005, he has created many successful works and was awarded the special jury prize by the professional arts critics as well as the first Jardin d’Europe Prize in Vienna among others.
In January 2015, Olivier Dubois created Mon Élue noire Sacre # 2, solo for Germaine Acogny. His last creation is a piece for twenty-two dancers, Auguri, which was created in in Internationales Sommersfestival 2016 in Hamburg
Germaine Acogny (FR/SN)
Both Sénégalese and French, Germaine Acogny trained in Paris from 1962 - 65 receiving a degree in physical education and harmonic gymnastics.
In 1968 she founded her first African dance studio in Dakar. Influenced by the movement heritage of her grandmother as well as her study of traditional African dances and Western techniques, Germaine Acogny developed her own Modern African dance technique. In 1977, she became the Artistic Director of Mudra Africa, created by Maurice Béjart and the Senegalese President and poet L.S. Senghor in Dakar. She remained there for 5 years, and in 1980 she wrote Danse Africaine, which was published in three languages.
After Mudra Africa closed, she moved to Brussels with the Béjart company and organized African Dance courses all over Europe as well as in Southern Sénégal.
Germaine Acogny has danced, choreographed and taught extensively, becoming a true emissary of Dance and of African culture. In 1985, with her husband Helmut Vogt, she founded the Studio-Ecole Ballet-Theatre of the 3rd World in Toulouse. In 1995, she returned to Sénégal and founded the International Center called the School of the Sands – L’Ecole des Sables. Continuing working in Paris as well as USA, she was touring internationally and received many awards.