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JOMBA! is delighted to be honouring Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe (featured on our poster!) as the 2022 JOMBA! Legacy Artist. Mantsoe is no stranger to JOMBA! and has, over the years, presented (and premiered) numerous of his dance works at the festival and, in fact, performed at the first edition of JOMBA! in 1998. This year heralds a 30-year history of Mantsoe’s career as a dancer and choreographer and JOMBA! can think of no better way to honour this incredible figure in South Africa’s historical dance trajectory than to celebrate this 30-year milestone with him.
Born and raised in Soweto, trained at Johannesburg’s Moving Into Dance, and now living in France, Mantsoe’s geographical divergences and influences make him an artist whose redefinitions of home and belonging resonate with audiences all over the world. As a descendant of a long line of Sangomas, Mantsoe grew up participating in traditional rituals involving the use of song, dance and drumming which has inspired his philosophical approach to dance making all based on the transformation or progressive preservation of cultures in the 21st century.
JOMBA! honours Mantsoe as its 2022 Legacy Artist by hosting, firstly, live on stage, his new solo work titled KOMA. Secondly, JOMBA! feature his remarkable short screen dance film called CUT (part 1) made during lockdown in 2020.Thirdly, in what has been a space of learning, sharing and the transfer of knowledge, Mantsoe will showcase his on-going two-year process (2021 and 2022) of working with Durban’s FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY and the long journey to making CUT (part 2) – this will be a JOMBA! 2022 world premiere. Finally, Mantsoe, will offer a JOMBA! Master Class on Saturday 10 September (10 – 11.30am) focusing on sharing more of his evolving GOBA technique.
Choreographed and performed by Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe
This solo looks at layers of the passages of time through a symphony of rhythms and African rites that speak to contemporary ideas of the need for sacrificial changes if we are to shift both ourselves and humanity. With his trademark spirituality and ritual like quality, this work sees a beautifully mature Mantsoe take to the stage as shaman, dancer and healer.
Choreographed by Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe
Dancers: FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY – Jabu Siphika, Sifiso Khumalo, Zinhle Nzama, Mthoko Mkhwanazi, Siseko Duba, Sbonga Ndlovu, Digga Dube
Music: Anna Thorvaldsdottir – original score inspired CUT (part 1)
In setting out to share his technique with FLATFOOT, Mantsoe took the company of 7 dancers through his training system of GOBA and has made a live performance that sits next to his short film – CUT (part 1). Also dealing with the shift between an individual and collective sense of self set off by the pandemic, CUT (part 2) is a journey to finding our humanity again.
FLATFOOT began as a contemporary dance training programme by Lliane Loots in 1994 in an attempt to challenge the historical lack of spaces to train specifically young contemporary dancers in Durban (KZN). In 2003 it became a professional dance company and began its now 28-year meteoric rise to become one of South Africa’s leading contemporary dance companies. FLATFOOT has an international reputation for its innovative dance education and community engagement programmes where the company fosters an understanding in dance as a tool for self-development and living democracy. https://flatfootdancecompany.webs.com/
