LMTA Students Explored West African Contemporary Dance Practices with Lecturer and Choreographer Patrick Acogny

At the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), an intensive eight-day course in dance and movement took place at the beginning of June, led by internationally acclaimed choreographer, educator, and researcher Dr. Patrick Acogny (Senegal / France).

This marks the lecturer’s third visit to LMTA, carried out within the framework of the Erasmus+ 171 programme. It is encouraging that Patrick Acogny continues to return and share his experience with students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

During the course, students explored West African contemporary dance techniques, examined the dialogue between music and movement, principles of bodily listening, and stage “contact” work. Particular attention was given to somatic awareness, as well as the relationship between the individual and the collective body – the principle of “me, myself and us.”

Students of Lithuanian music and theatre academy emphasized that this experience was not only an intensive practical training but also a deep personal and artistic reflection. During lectures, the lecturer shared theoretical and practical insights into the connections between traditional African and contemporary dance, as well as the impact of colonialism on the identity of African contemporary dance. According to participants, the most important value of the course was the living learning relationship, where the teacher’s example becomes the primary form of education.

“What does it mean to be a good teacher? A good teacher is someone who, through their example rather than words alone, demonstrates what they teach,” students reflected after the course.

Over eight intensive days, the material gathered will serve as a basis for further creative and academic projects, while the experience, according to participating students, will remain an important source of both professional and personal inspiration.

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