At eighty-two years old, former “spiritual daughter” of Maurice Béjart, Germaine Acogny, is a phenomenon. Here she retraces the life of the great Josephine Baker: her rebellion against racism, her combat for the Resistance and much more. Acogny and Baker are a perfect match and the work is a thorough triumph. Gregory Maqoma responds with a creation for twelve dancers from different traditions, who unite their practices in joyous camaraderie, paying tribute to Germaine Acogny’s teaching and her renowned École des sables. Bantu is a potent, fast-paced celebration of the power and beauty of life and a timeless invocation of Africa, its youth and modernity. Gregory Maqoma also reminds us of the social realities of the continent, and nourishes the dream of universal humanity, cherished by Baker.

Thomas Hahn