Time and Space: The Marrabenta Solos

Panaibra Gabriel Canda Mozambique

contemporary

“Time and Space: The Marrabenta Solos”, explores a crisis of identity, deconstructs cultural representations of a “pure” African body, particular, the Mozambican body. Since snatching in dependence from Portugal in 1975, Mozambique has been a land of social and political rifts which have seen an inflexible communist model gradually make way for a fragile democracy.

The performance explores the idea of today’s African body: a post-colonial, plural body that has absorbed the ideals of nationalism, modernity, socialism and freedom of expression, My own body. The performance is accompanied by guitarist, who explores the marrabenta music, a musical form born in the 1950s from a mix of local and European influences, special a Portuguese guitar.

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Credits

choreography, dance: Panaibra Gabriel Canda

music: Jorge Domingos

texts: Panaibra Gabriel Canda

light designer: Myers Godwin

light assistant: Aude Dierkens

light operator: Caldino José Alberto

costumes: Mama Africa & Lucia Pinto

administrative support: Jeremias Canda

props: Panaibra Gabriel Canda with support of Gonçalo Mabunda

music: structured and inspired by Marrabenta music from Mozambique-composers, and “Povo que lavas no Rio” by Amalia Rodrigues-composer J. Campus

Some important Marrabenta composers analyzed: Fany Trio, Fany fumo, Gatika, Albino Mandlaze, Xidiminguana, Feliciano “Pachu” Gomes

production: CulturArte (Maputo)

co-production: Sylt Quelle Cultural Award for Southern Africa 2009–Goethe Institut Johannesburg

with the support of: Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Bates Festival, Panorama Festival, VSArtsNM.

special thanks to: Jesse Manno, Dan Minzer, Leah Wilks, Cynthia Oliver, Elsa Mulungo, Timoteo Canda.

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Bio

Panaibra Canda, was born in Maputo, had artistic training in theatre, music and dance. He received additional training in contemporary dance Lisbon among Danças Na Cidade. He started to develop his artistic projects since 1993. In 1998 he created CulturArte, and been developing many artistic projects, including creations, showcases and training projects to encourage a local dance scene development. He also develops collaboration with artists in southern Africa and Europe, as well collaborating with artists of other disciplines. His work has been presented in Africa, Europe, USA and Latin America, Some of his works were awarded in Paris at African choreographic meeting in Paris / France - 2006 with the performance “Dentro de Mim Outra Ilha”, Zurich 2008 a ZKB Patronage Prize in Zurich/ and the Sylt Quelle Cultural Award for Southern Africa 2009, a Germany encouraging cultural prize with the performance “Mafalala2”, and with his performance Show Time and Space: The Marrabenta Solos"was awarded the 2009 Sylt Quelle Cultural Award for Southern Africa by the Goethe Institute of Germany, it was still considered the best dance performance in Portugal for the year 2013, and in 2015 it was awarded Best Performance in Saragevo (MESS Festival).

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