In a celebration of movement, memory, and haute couture, Johannesburg hosted the world premiere of a significant contemporary dance double bill. Set for a global tour, the programme paired Joséphine, a poignant solo by legendary Senegalese-French dancer Germaine Acogny, with Bantu, a powerful new ensemble piece by South Africa’s master choreographer, Gregory Maqoma.
The event was supported by CHANEL, continuing the House’s longstanding commitment to the arts and its creative partnership with Germaine Acogny.
In an exclusive interview with YourLuxury Africa, Gregory reflected on the significance of beginning this global voyage on home soil.
YLA: Joséphine launches its worldwide tour in Johannesburg. What does it mean to begin here?
Gregory: Beginning in Johannesburg is deeply symbolic. It is important that African work, especially work that honours one of the continent’s most iconic daughters, does not always have its presence in Europe, as is often the case, but receives recognition at home.
Through Gregory Maqoma Industries, alongside UJ Arts & Culture and the support of Productions Sarfati, we are intentionally creating platforms where great artists like Germaine Acogny are celebrated on the continent. Johannesburg is not a stopover; it is one of the best cities in the world and a confluence of cultures.
Launching here affirms that African stages are worthy of global premieres, and that our audiences deserve to experience excellence first.
YLA: The programme pairs Germaine Acogny’s Joséphine with your work. What conversation did you intend?
Gregory: The double bill is a dialogue across generations and across histories. Germaine’s Joséphine honours Joséphine Baker, a woman who used her body for resistance, diplomacy, and art. My second act responds to that lineage by asking: what does reclamation look like now?
Together, the works create a conversation about memory, dignity, Black womanhood, exile, return and the ongoing negotiation of identity. It is not simply two pieces sharing a stage; it is two timelines meeting.
YLA: What has it meant to share this moment with Germaine Acogny?
Gregory: It is an honour. Mama Germaine is not only a pioneer of contemporary African dance; she is an institution, a living archive, and a philosophy who creates opportunities for dancers across the continent.
To stand beside her is to stand within history and continuity. It is humbling and affirming at once. She opened doors many of us now walk through. Sharing the stage with her is a reminder that our work must also build pathways for those who follow.
YLA: What moved you most when you first saw Germaine’s Joséphine?
Gregory: I saw the premiere in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. What moved me most was the tenderness. The way Germaine embodies Joséphine Baker is not imitation; it is invocation.
She does not simply portray an icon; she communes with her. There is vulnerability, dignity, humour, and defiance. It reminded me how the body can hold biography without words.
YLA: The creation unites dancers from École des Sables and your company. Why was that blend important?
Gregory: Bringing together dancers from École des Sables and Vuyani Dance Theatre was essential because it embodies the work’s philosophy: Africa is not singular.
Different lineages, , and cultural sensibilities create a richer vocabulary. It resists homogeneity. This blend honours tradition while insisting on evolution — and perhaps is our attempt at defying what borders have achieved in separating humanity.
YLA: How did you shape dancers from different lineages into one shared physical language?
Gregory: It required listening before shaping. Each dancer arrived with embodied knowledge — different rhythms, grounding, breath patterns, and musicalities — and I insisted on them loving themselves first.
Rather than erase those differences, we leaned into them. The shared language emerged through common intention rather than uniformity of technique. We found cohesion in purpose, not sameness, and created a work that is about people — Abantu, as in Bantu.
YLA: What can contemporary African dance uniquely express right now?
Gregory: Contemporary African dance is uniquely positioned to hold paradox. We carry memory and futurity simultaneously. Right now, it can express complexity without apology: migration, resilience, spirituality, political tension, and joy.
Our bodies are archives, but they are also blueprints — offering multiplicity with panache and style.
YLA: How would you describe Chanel’s involvement?
Gregory: Chanel represents patronage rooted in respect and alignment. Meaningful arts patronage is not decorative; it is transformative. It understands that supporting artists is about sustaining ecosystems, preserving legacy, and investing in cultural futures.
Partnerships like this allow ambitious work to exist with integrity and scale, where fashion, in its artistry, meets human values. When global brands stand beside African artists with sincerity, they amplify voices rather than overshadow them.
YLA: What do you hope audiences feel?
Gregory: I hope they leave feeling expanded. I hope they reflect on the courage of those who came before us, and on the responsibility we carry now. I hope they recognise the body as a site of memory and power, and feel pride in African excellence, sophistication, and depth.
YLA: As the work travels globally, what should international audiences understand about African contemporary dance?
Gregory: African contemporary dance is not peripheral; it is central. It is rigorous, intellectually layered, spiritually grounded and globally relevant. This double bill demonstrates that our narratives are expansive, and our aesthetic languages refined and innovative.
Through Gregory Maqoma Industries, UJ Arts & Culture and Productions Sarfati hosting this premiere, we are asserting that Africa is not only a source of inspiration; it is a producer of world-class artistic thought and performance.
