The dancer, teacher and choreographer Germaine Acogny is known as the mother of contemporary African dance. She studied in Paris and established her first dance studio in Dakar in 1968, where she developed her technique for Modern African dance. After being the artistic director of Mudra Afrique, she founded the Studio-École-Ballet-Théâtre du 3è Monde in Toulouse with her husband Helmut Vogt in 1985. In 1995, she returned to Senegal and established an international education centre for traditional and contemporary African dances, l’École des Sables. Her impressive body of work has been premiered several times. As a respected emissary of African Dance and Culture, Germaine Acogny collaborates with schools, dance centres, teaches master classes and presents her solo performances worldwide.