Men-Jaro

Men-Jaro is a performance piece featuring live music and dance, with music by Anthony Caplan and choreography by Vincent Mansoe.

The original text

Men-Jaro (“friendship” in township slang). Originally created as a Standard Bank Young Artist's commission for five dancers from the Moving into Dance company in 1996.

A re-worked production premiered in 2006, with live musicians accompanying the dancers on stage. The show uses traditional instruments playing new traditional-styled compositions. The piece “celebrates and redefines the intrinsic relationship that exists between African contemporary dance, the rite and African ritual music”. Constructed in twelve tableaux which alternate group dances, trios, duets, solos, the choreography of Vincent Mantsoe is “highly crafted in response to the complex rhythms of Caplan’s music, played on traditional South African instruments like the mbrira (thumb piano), umrhubhe (mouth bow), uhadi (gourd bow), botsorwane (string instrument), drums, shakers and clappers, which perfectly complement the songs of Sasa Magwaza” .

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1996: First presented by Moving into Dance with recorded music.

2006: A re-worked production presented at Dance Umbrella at the University of Johannesburg (with Caplan's original music) with Vincent Mantsoe, Cécile Maubert Mantsoe, Lesole Maine, Aude Arago, Meri Otoshi. Musicians: Anthony Caplan, Geoffrey Tracey, Prascilla Sasa Magwaza, Mduduzi Buthelezi, Michelle Smith. The work was performed again in 2006-2007 by Vincent Mantsoe’s company during a tour of North America with the African Music Workshop Ensemble. Anthony Caplan’s original composition was given a Bessie Award in 2007. The show travelled to Canada, England, Reunion, USA, France and Germany.