Compagnie Jant-Bi
Artistic Direction: Germaine Acogny
Creation: 1998
The Compagnie Jant-Bi was created in 1998 with dancers who participated in the first workshop at the International Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dance, “L’Ecole des Sables” in Toubab Dialaw.
The Companie Jant-Bi is closely linked with the centre, which is also a place of meetings and exchanges for dancers of the African diaspora and different cultures of the world. Each of her choreographic works reflects the spirit of the centre. Through establishing a rapport with a choreographer representing another culture and another style of dance, a process of fusion takes place between this style and the essence of African dance.
The first choreographic project by Susanne Linke and Germaine Acogny, “Le coq est mort”, is an encounter between German “dance-theatre” and African dance, and Germaine Acogny’s second co-choreography with Kota Yamazaki, “Fagaala”, between butoh and African contemporary dance. In 2007, Germaine Acogny teamed up with her son Patrick Acogny to compose “Waxtaan”, a combination of contemporary dance and the most beautiful traditional dances of different African countries.
And in 2008 it’s the collaboration between Germaine Acogny and the Afro-American choreographer Jawole Zolar from New York for the creation “Scales of memory”
The latest creation was made in 2014 under the direction of the renowned South African choreographer Robyn Orlin.
Source: Company Jant-Bi ‘s website