“Mantsoe
is an artist of fierce uniqueness…He combines entertainment,
history, and spirituality with an earth-shaking expressiveness
that audiences find irresistible.”
ABOUT THE SHOW NDAA
(Awaking of the Self). Mantsoe’s commanding presence in
NDAA carries the audience through mystical In Motswa Hole (" person from far away") Mantsoe explores how culture and traditions change from one generation to the next and his quest to retain the purity of the materials he draws from as he incorporates them into contemporary performances.
"Mantose
is an artist of fierce uniqueness…He combines entertainment,
history, and spirituality with an earth-shaking expressiveness
that audiences find irresistible." "It
is muscularly visceral, intensely focused movement, and even in
stillness, Mantsoe is a riveting, charismatic presence." "...each
lengthy dance unfolds as if there is a seed of unlimited possibilities
waiting to sprout from each step. It's riveting whether you admire
technique, interpretation or narrative."
This presentation is supported by the Heartland Arts Fund, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance funded by the National Endowment for the Arts with additional contributions from the Texas Commission on the Arts, Courtney S.Turner Charitable Trust, and foundations, corporations and individuals throughout Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. This project is also funded in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. |
One
of post-Apartheid South Africa’s leading choreographers,
VINCENT MANTSOE, is exploring new approaches to creating dance.
He descends from a long line of Sangomas (his mother, aunts and
grandmother are traditional healers/diviners) and draws his inspiration
from ancestral worship and rituals as well as contemporary world
cultures. During his formative years he danced with youth clubs
practicing street dances and trying to imitate the dance moves
seen in music videos. At the same time he woke everyday to the
sound of the drum his mother played to greet the Ancestors. It
was not until he began his training at Johannesburg’s Moving
Into Dance Company that Mantsoe was able to merge these two distinct
dance forms into his own style that he describes as Afro-fusion.
journeys
as we watch him literally transform on stage. He begins this dynamic
solo by building an internal rhythm that allows him to enter a
trance-like state harnessing breathtaking strength and power into
every movement. One can almost see his ancestors dancing with
him as he travels through different pathways and spaces to the
highest spiritual state…. NDAA (Awakening of the Self).
