“I have successfully gotten a lot of experience from different choreographers and that has made me grow more with my skills and artistic work. I learned several lessons, such as: Modern African Dance and Germaine Acogny’s Technique from two different teachers, Alesandra Seutin and Raouf Tchakondo; Contemporary Dance with Karin Vyncke and Sophiatou Kossoko; African Contemporary Dance by Nora Chipaumire; and finally finished with Patrick Acogny with same African Contemporary Dance and Deconstruction of patrimonial dances. And also in the second workshop that I did, I got to learn more dances and get more skills in Ballet and Sabar, with the addition of a traditional dance from Togo.”
[…]
“My way forward is to continue working hard and harder to nourish my artistic work in dance and make as many projects as possible to broaden my network with other artists. Moreover I want to share my skills with others who have not had the chance to go to the École before or who have not participated in many workshops. […] Also, in the future, I am planning to organize dance conferences and competitions to influence dancers more, [first] in my country Tanzania then [in] foreign countries.”
Grant Year : 2015
Profile : Dancer
Gender : F
Mobility project
AMA grantee Happiness Peter Kulwa Majige travelled from Mwanza, Tanzania to Toubab Dialaw, Senegal, to participate in a two-week workshop on the Germaine Acogny dance technique at the École des Sables.
Ms. Majige is a professional dancer. She has been working professionally since 2008, working with various choreographers both within Tanzania and internationally (including Aida Colmenero Diaz and Nora Chipaumere). Her vision is to inspire people of different genders and backgrounds, especially in Africa, to take dance more seriously and integrate it into their lives.
At the École des Sables, Ms. Majige trained in the Germaine Acogny dance technique, the only codified and acknowledged contemporary dance technique from Senegal and West Africa. Rooted in the concept of unity, the technique is distinctive for the particular attention given to the spine, which it considers to be the connection between being human and a part of nature. Workshop participants also attended classes in traditional African dance forms (Sabar) and contemporary dance and improvisation, with a view to deepening their knowledge of the Germaine Acogny technique. Besides the regular classes, trips were organized to the bush and the beach for research and experimentation.
Session
May
Type of Project
Workshop/training/seminar
Departure : Mwanza, Tanzania
Destination : Toubab Dialaw, Senegal