January 29, 2002
Contact: Susan Gwynne
(805) 893-2098
e-mail: gwynne-s@sa.ucsb.edu

High energy National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique to perform at UCSB Campbell Hall

Summary Facts:

• National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique
• A company of 25 dancers and musicians
• The troupe preserves and presents the expressive art forms of Mozambique
• The company made its U.S. debut in 1998 at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center
• Thursday, March 7 / 8 pm
• UCSB Campbell Hall
• General: $28/$25, UCSB students: $19/$16
• Tickets/information: UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535

The National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique, whose upbeat program balances feats of technical virtuosity with soulful dancing, will perform on Thursday, March 7 at 8 pm in UCSB Campbell Hall. Located on the southeastern coast of Africa, Mozambique was under Portuguese domination until 1979. In this versatile and exhilarating performance, a company of 25 dancers and musicians create an explosion of rhythm and movement that portrays the commingling of indigenous traditions with those of Portuguese rulers and Arab traders. Their engaging performances feature exuberant warrior dances, festive celebration rituals, joyful love and wedding dances as well as a cappella singing. “The greatest fascination lay in the ways age-old traditional dance and music were filtered through a modern sensibility to produce an extraordinarily vital and subtle new art,” declares The New York Times. “As compelling were the warmth, humor and stylishness of the performers, as well as their energy and grace.”

Formed as a semi-professional company four years after Mozambique gained its independence, the group turned professional just four years later in 1983. Known in its native country by its Portuguese name Companhia Nacional de Canto e Danca, the company’s major goals are to preserve and collect the dance, theater and music of the various peoples of Mozambique. Today the ensemble attracts the best performers from the nation’s ten provinces who present a repertoire that ranges from traditional dances with choral and instrumental music to modern African ballet accompanied by poetry and story telling.

The company has served as a cultural emissary for Mozambique, having thrilled crowds and earned critical plaudits throughout Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and the United States. The troupe also regularly tours its own country, meeting with village elders and renewing ties with the varied performance traditions throughout Mozambique, a land of 16 languages. The resulting dance pieces celebrate this diversity and the joy of African liberation. After one performance The Newark Star-Ledger said, “Thrilling ensembles in which the dancers twisted, stamped and kicked, working the air into a froth, while the music exploded in a whole constellation of percussive rhythms, embodied the strength of African artistic traditions.”

David Abílio, General Director and founder of the National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique is the son of a king of the Makambanes tribe. He settled in the capital city of Maputo after his father’s death and embarked on a career as a playwright, choreographer and teacher of drama and culture. In 1976, under the auspices of the National Directorate of Culture, Abílio brought together a troupe of dancers, singers, poets and theater artists that eventually evolved into the National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique. His choreography forms the core of the group’s repertoire and his most important dances, “Em Moçambique o Sol Nasceu,” which was created to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Mozambican independence, and “N’tsay,” an allegory of the evils of colonial oppression, have been performed worldwide and won numerous awards.

On the evening of the performance concertgoers may enhance their experience by attending a savory Mozambique buffet served by the UCSB Faculty Club at 6 pm Cost is $18 per person; reservations must be made by March 1 by calling 893-3096. Those attending the show may stay after the performance for a Meet-the-Artist discussion with General Director David Abílio.

This performance by the National Song & Dance Company of Mozambique is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and supported in part by the Washington State Arts Commission and the Western States Art Federation (WESTAF). This residency is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment of the Arts, a federal agency. Tickets are $28 and $25 for the general public and $19 and $16 for UCSB students.

For tickets or more information,
call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535.

Editor: For photos, please call
Susan Gwynne at (805) 893-2098.