Arts

Choreographer releases collaborative dance film

Tarryn Jameson

The French Institute of SA (IFAS), in association with the Market Theatre, announces the launch of Cut;a collaborative dance short film by South African choreographer Vincent Mantsoe.

  Exploring the reality of living and working as an artist during the Covid-19 pandemic, Cut is a must-watch dance expose. Stream it for free online between 18 June to 02 July 2020.

  Faced with Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings, artists and their organisations have had to shift their ways of thinking and making.

   Mantsoe faced this dilemma as his scheduled tour to South Africa from France in April 2020 was indefinitely postponed. He was due to present his solo piece, SoliiDaD, as well as his workshop programme, Trok, at the Market Theatre in Newtown.

  Cut is a 13-minute online dance piece by Mantsoe, created in remote collaboration with composer and musician, Mpho Molikeng, and filmmaker, Frank Pizon. 

  The performance will stream online for free for two weeks, accompanied by interviews of Mantsoe and behind-the-scene videos of the creative process.

  Cut was filmed in Mantsoe’s studio and edited at a distance by video artist, Frank Pizon. Mantsoe’s movements were then crafted to multi-layered music performed by Lesotho-born musician, Mpho Molikeng. The three artists collaborated virtually throughout the creative process, exchanging thoughts, sounds and images by email.

  IFAS says Cut explores the experience of living with the imminent danger of infection, and the derived consequences of the pandemic, such as quarantine, social distancing and self-isolation. “The visual captures the experience of being torn between extreme poles of opposition, and of struggling to resist the emotional weight of a self that may give in to the anxiety of the situation. Cut articulates some of the many contradictory emotions in these disturbing times. These emotions pull us apart, but also make us gravitate towards one another.”

  Cut is ultimately a cross-cultural project. It brings together, directly from their homes across the world, exceptional talent from South Africa, Lesotho and France for a journey of inspiration and discovery. 

  The movements are crafted on the Market Theatre Social Media pages #StageDoorMTF.

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