DANSE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS

Transcription

1 DANSE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS Ecole des Sables Toubab Dialaw Senegal December 3 rd - 15 th 2018 Ecole des Sables invites you to discover Senegalese culture in the village of Toubab Dialaw through movement, music, percussion rhythm, storytelling and poetry, the Atlantic Ocean breeze, and the murmur of the savanna.

2 DANCE AND CULTURE Ecole des Sables invites you to come to Toubab Dialaw, a small fishing village in Senegal, to familiarize yourself with dance and movement, an immediate and intense personal means of expression, to find natural well-being through an intimate union between the body and the mind. In an ideal environment, surrounded by a competent and caring team, everything is taken care of for you to spend moments full of meaning, experience, cultural exchange, and discovery together. This is mainly a great opportunity to explore African Dance directly at its source, to feel the energy of one s body and that of the environment. It is also an opportunity to undertake various activities and to learn about the lifestyle of the people of the village of Toubab Dialaw. The Ecole des Sables is a unique place in Africa and in the world, a large Center considered the "Home" of African Dance. Created especially to train young African dancers, this Center wishes to extend to others the opportunity to discover Africa through one of its major forms of expression: Dance. Age should not be a handicap but rather express the wisdom and the wealth of experience and the willingness to continue to be active in this world. Making the body work is the best way to maintain physical autonomy and well-being. There are considerable known positive impacts of movement on mental well-being as well. This program deeply influences and helps one to live comfortably with the heart and the body, whatever one s age. Knowing that time is perceived in Africa in a radically different way than in the West, the concept of age is also conceived differently. The elders are respected, listened to. They are not put aside as we see in Europe; they play an essential role in the society and remain active. In Africa the elders dance, so come and dance with them! DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 2

3 ECOLE DES SABLES The Ecole des Sables, International Centre for Traditional and Contemporary African Dances trains dancers from all over Africa. It is a meeting place, a place for research and artistic residencies, conferences, and exchanges for dancers from all over the world. The Ecole des Sables was created in 1996 by the dancer and choreographer Germaine Acogny and her husband Helmut Vogt. Since then, The Ecole regularly organizes professional training courses bringing together dancers and choreographers from Africa, its Diaspora, and all over the world. More than 600 dancers from 26 African countries have received high-level technical training from internationally renowned African and Western teachers. For several years, Patrick Acogny has been the artistic director of the Center. Both an artist and a scholar, he pursues Germaine Acogny's vision of making the school the home of African dances. DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 3

4 GERMAINE ACOGNY THE FACILITATORS Germaine ACOGNY, great figure of African Dance, choreographs, teaches, and manages the Ecole des Sables with her husband Helmut Vogt. Her specific technique of Modern African Dance is recognized worldwide. For a long time, she dreamed of taking elders to Toubab Dialaw, especially since she has a very strong and intimate relation with the elder women of the village, heirs of a long tradition. The proposed approach is based on the discovery (or rediscovery) of the body in an unusual context, in which nature is a crucial component. It is about being together, especially during the activities. Whatever the level of the participants is, the lessons are taught in a single group, without discrimination based on skill. Each one moves according to one s own pace and individual abilities. The effects of this work are extremely beneficial to the body, especially in terms of tone, coordination, balance, and mood. Dance may be considered the ideal form, if not one of the "healthiest" forms of physical activity according to the World Health Organization's definition of health, which states that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity ". DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 4

5 CLAUDE MAGNE Claude MAGNE discovered dance during a journey in South America where he met the native peoples of Amazonia with which he learned about the ritual dances and about the practices made sacred by trance and by the ecstasy. After this initiatory journey, he followed the teachings of several masters of contemporary dance, became a dancer, then a choreographer and teacher with different publics in several countries. In the interrogation of alive phenomenon and embodiment, he practices Zen meditation and yoga, collaborates in interdisciplinary colloquiums, and writes diverse works on dance and meditation. For me, dance investigates in an immediate way the essential relation of man with nature. It is the sensitive expression of the universal breath which crosses all beings. To live the physical dimension sensitively makes us joyful. We can enjoy the moment and register it in our existence. The perception of the body is changeable and evolves with time; this metamorphosis is the base of the pleasure of dance. As a meditation, the involvement of the body is a unifying experience which calms and animates. An experience which awakens us!". DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 5

6 ACCOMODATION, FOOD, HEALTH, FACILITIES The participants are hosted in the 24 bungalows of the center (including mosquito nets and fans), with 2 persons per bungalow. Some bungalows are equipped with a bathroom and individual toilets (reserved for the eldest). The other bathrooms are located just next to the bungalows. These are well-equipped showers and toilets with original architecture. Meals are taken at the restaurant of the Centre overlooking the lagoon and the Ocean. They are prepared by a staff of women from the village in perfect hygienic conditions. A variety of meals are offered: rice, fish, meat, lots of local vegetables and fruits, adapted to the taste and stomachs of everybody. The village of Toubab Dialaw has a pharmacy with an excellent pharmacist especially available to the Ecole. The simple and basic cases which do not necessarily require the intervention of a specialist can be treated in the village. Cases requiring the consultation with a specialist may be directed to Rufisque (the closest city) or Dakar. There is also a professional masseuse available nearby. The classes of expression through movement take place under the structure of a 400 m2 dance space called "Kër Aloopho" (the House of Aloopho), with a sand floor, and a second space of 280 m2 (called Henriette Bathily), equipped with a professional dance floor of European standards. A WIFI connection is available. Les maisons DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 6

7 PROGRAMME The movement classes take place under the structure of a 400m² dance hall called "Kër Aloopho" (the house of Aloopho), with a sand floor, and in a second room, 280 m2 (Henriette Bathily room), equipped with a professional dance floor. Other activities include meetings, exchanges, and discussions with the elders and the women from the village. Additionally, learning the preparation of local fruit juices with the women of the village, evenings of storytelling and conferences, excursions in the bush, strolling in the market, singing, walking in the water... It is about discovering the lifestyle of the Ancients, guardians of the tradition of the village of Toubab Dialaw, feeling, going with the flow, guided by the surrounding nature. Finally, to live these two weeks in the rhythm of the Ecole des Sables shared between music and movement, village and nature, activities and peace. The proposed activities are meant equally for men and for women. Companions, partners, husbands, or wives may of course also join and participate in the dance training. DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 7

8 COST OF PARTICIPATION AND REGISTRATION The cost of the 2018 workshop is 1400 per person. This includes accommodation, meals, all the dance and movement classes and the in-house activities at the Center. International transport, transfer fees between the airport and Toubab Dialaw (approx.30 both ways), outside excursions, and massage sessions are the responsibility of participants. It is also mandatory to have international health insurance. The number of participants is limited to 25 people. You will find attached a registration form to return to us duly completed before August 3 st PRACTIAL INFORMATION Visa Please check with the consulate of Senegal in your country or on the website of the foreign affairs ministry of your country to find out if you need a visa. If necessary, we will issue a letter of invitation for your formalities. Weather In December, it is the dry season in Senegal and the best weather of the year. Temperatures are around 25 degrees and evenings can be chilly. Health Insurance International health insurance is mandatory to participate in the workshop, covering expenses in case of hospitalization or medical repatriation. DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 8

9 PHOTOS Workshop for Elders Previous editions DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 9

10 ECOLE DES SABLES ASSOCIATION JANT-BI BP Dakar / SENEGAL Tel-fax: stage-workshop@jantbi.org Web: DANCE AND CULTURE FOR ELDERS ECOLE DES SABLES TOUBAB DIALAW SENEGAL 10