QUASAR CIA. DE DANÇA
VINCENT MANTSOE AND AFRICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE
QUASAR CIA. DE DANÇA Brazil
IT COULD ONLY BE WITH YOU
(Só tinha de ser com você)
Choreography: HENRIQUE RODOVALHO
The dancers lay on the white floor of the stage like cocoons. A group of them moves slowly every now and then. Finally, the first song starts, launching a series of solos, duos and ensemble dances. “It could only be with you” is danced to the bossa nova sounds of the great Brazilian vocalists Elis Regina and Tom Jobim. These songs tell of happiness and disappointment, of loneliness and reflection. These emotions are also expressed through the choreography of Henrique Rodovalho.
QUASAR was founded by dancers Vera Bicalho und Henrique Rodovalho in Goiânia, a city in Central Brazil, in 1998. For years, the group has been considered a trademark of Brazilian dance at home and abroad.
Sponsored by: Petrobras
With friendly support of: Ministério da Cultura, Governo Federal
www.quasarciadedanca.com.br
VINCENT MANTSOE AND AFRICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE Soweto
ASSOCIATION NOA-CIE
MEN-JARO – A COLLABORATION
Five dancers, each from a different country. They all have their own unique personalities and were shaped by the cultures and dance traditions of their homes. Add five musicians from the African Music Workshop Ensemble. They play traditional instruments – the mbira (pianoforte), umrhubhe (mouth-resonated bow) and uhadi (gourd bow). The vocals (by Sasa Magwaza) are performed in the Umngqokolo style – a type of overtone singing.
Does all of this work together? This is a purely theoretical question. When the dancers and musicians perform on stage in “Men-Jaro”, the audience is immediately drawn into the rhythm, movements, forms and body language of these colorful traditions combined with contemporary dance. “Men-Jaro” means “friendship” in the slang used in the township of Soweto – where dancer and choreographer Vincent Mantsoe had his first performances. This is where he tried to combine the dance rituals of his people with the breakdancing and leaping moves of Michael Jackson for the first time. Together with South African composer Anthony Caplan, he brings centuries of wisdom and spirituality to light in this new piece – a mysterious and magical composition featuring the highest art of dance.
Vincent Mantsoe was born in Soweto, South Africa in a family of “sangomas” (healing women). He studied with the “Moving Into Dance Company” in Johannesburg. He learned new dance traditions in the United States, Canada and Japan, and transformed them into his own unique style. Anthony Caplan, composer and teacher, lives in Johannesburg. He studied classical western music at Rhodes University. He has been Musical Director of the Traditional African Orchestra (80 members) since 2004. He researches ancient music and also builds original native instruments.
Co-production: FNB Dance Umbrella South Africa, ACT, BASA, IFAS, NEFA, PRINCE CLAUS FUNDS
With friendly support from:
www.sekwaman.co.za
Foto: © Rubens Cerqueira / Pascal Beroujon
