Senegal's Germaine Acogny pays tribute to Josephine Baker in Paris

At the age of 81, celebrated Senegalese dancer and choreographer, Germaine Acogny, returns to the stage in Paris this week.

Her show at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées pays tribute to legendary American-born dancer, singer, actress, and activist Josephine Baker.

It comes exactly 100 years after Baker first dazzled the world, moving to France in the 1920s where she soon became one of Europe's most popular performers.

She served as a member of the French Resistance during World War II, and devoted herself to fighting segregation and racism in the United States.

At the age of 81, celebrated Senegalese dancer and choreographer - Germaine Acogny – returns to the stage in Paris this week.

Her show at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées pays tribute to legendary American-born dancer, singer, actress, and activist Josephine Baker.

It comes exactly 100 years after Baker first dazzled the world, moving to France in the 1920s where she soon became one of Europe's most popular performers.

Acogny says that with age and experience she can “better sense the depth and spirit that drove Josephine Baker”.

“I’ve read a lot about her, and what struck me most was how she used her performances to rise above the racism she faced in the United States."

Born in Benin to a Senegalese civil servant, Acogny trained in Paris and founded her first dance studio in Dakar in 1968.

Drawing from her Yoruba heritage and western influences, she developed a new style that earned her the title of “Mother of Contemporary African Dance.”

In her latest show, she use her body and voice to channel Baker’s fiery energy that has too often been stripped of the political struggles that defined her life.

"What I wanted to highlight is this humanist, this fighter, this woman who stood up to racism in the United States and who was embraced in France. She lived through it all, and  overcame it,” says Acogny.

“What I admire most is her decision to adopt 12 children and to surround herself with this ‘Rainbow Tribe.’ It was an extraordinary act of love and generosity.”

Until 28 September, Acogny invites audiences into Josephine Baker’s world — a heartfelt tribute to an artist, resistance fighter, and visionary woman.