Danceimpressions
The end of apartheid gave South African dancer Vincent Mantsoe the chance to artistic expression, to create his style through merging traditional, African dance with modern and Western traditions.
At the Place Theatre, he begun dancing a bird ('Gula'), with swift, small head and shoulder movements, those measured attacks with no waste of energy that pidgeons do, with frozen quiet moments in between. Deliciously eloquent dance on a simple theme.
The next dance, 'Mpheyance', had a theme of cultural confusion leading to a
"final realisation that an assimilation and appreciation of all these cultures will lead to personal enrichment but only when the link to your heritage is known and restored."(quote from the program)
'Phokwane' was an homage to his parents, simpler, and so beautiful the audience didn't want him to stop.
Vincent's style is smooth, detailed and precise... He is an amazing performer. His choreography would hardly look the same on anybody else.
Watching him was breathtaking. I almost started whistling to imitate his bird sounds! The audience felt that a sense of magic belongs to dancing, a connection Westerners have forgotten...
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