Afro fusion: Difference between revisions

Afro fusion (also spelled afrofusion or afro-fusion)

Vincent Mantsoe and Sylvia Glasser are the pioneering figures behind "Afrofusion" a contemporary African movement vocabulary and technique that emerged in response to the political changes following the near-end and end of the apartheid regime, a system of racial segregation that took place in South Africa from 1948 to 1991.^[11]

After the musical style was globally popularized by

Having established arguably South Africa’s most important contemporary dance company in 1978 from the garage at her home in Victory Park – long before it was fashionable or even legal to host black and white dancers on the same stage – Glasser unequivocally changed the nature of dance in South Africa.

— Robyn Sassen, "Sylvia Glasser dances to her own drum", Mail & Guardian, 10 December 2015

Sylvia Glasser's protégés include international contemporary dance household names inclusive of Gregory Maqoma and Vincent Mantsoe.^[4][21] Mantsoe was a part of the participants in the earliest groups that performed Glasser's historic "San trance" dancing work, Transformations.^[5] In the 1970s, afro fusion garnered mainstream popularity in African countries such as Zambia and Namibia. Somatic techniques such as release and Alexander technique were developed and commixed with African dance styles like kwassa kwassa and pantsula resulting in the hybrid dance style.^[22]

Glasser pioneered what has come to be called Afrofusion, bringing together African dance and Western dance. She pursued this vision from the company’s very beginnings in 1978. Through her work and that of the company’s young choreographers and dancers, the Afrofusion idiom now pervades South African dance.

— Staff Reporter, "In a dance state", Mail & Guardian, 16 October 1998

Musical style

As a genre and

...Hugh Masekela on trumpet; Jonas Gwangwa on trombone;Kippie Moeketsi on saxophone, as well as Dolly Rathebe and Miriam Makeba's vocal prowress they ushered in an era of a new afro fusion sound...

— Max Mojapelo, "Chapter Fourteen - Joy or Jazz", Beyond Memory Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music, 2008

Hugh Masekela's career was characterized by his experiments with jazz and diverse ethnic African music within a pop framework.^[40]

History

1970s–1980s

During the peak of apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s, many South African artists went into exile, which complicated documentation of their careers during that period.^[41][42]

Slyvia Glasser's afrofusion arose from the combination of African music and ritual and incorporating Western contemporary dance forms into her choreography. Glasser initiated the company, Moving Into Dance Mopha-tong during a period of heightened racial oppression and segregation. As an anthropologist, she was motivated to create contemporary dance rooted in an African context. Her vision of afrofusion, which additionally incorporated a modified Graham technique, became a cornerstone training method for South African dancers for many years. When Vincent Mantsoe assumed artistic leadership of MIDM, his exploration of Eastern dance forms and mysticism influenced a shift in technique and training. The company underwent further transformation when Gregory Maqoma took the helm, introducing his vision of post-modern African dance and steering the company in a new direction.^[43][44][45]

Stimela originated from the soul group ,The Cannibals, established by Ray Phiri during the 1970s. Phiri, best known for his contributions on Paul Simon's albums Graceland and

As Nelson Mandela's release from prison and the end of minority-dominated white governance approached, Tsepo Tshola returned from London and teamed up with Hugh Masekela for his homecoming Sekunjalo tour of South Africa in 1991.^[49]

In 1993, Tsepo Tshola released his debut solo album, The Village Pope a moniker that resonated well with fans and has remained associated with the songster ever since.^[50]

Grace Mpori Senne, together with her daughter Sandra Pheto established an all-women band named African Maroon. Senne was as an actor, author, director, dancer, researcher, percussionist and expert instructor with a focus on Southern African dance styles, namely gumboot dance. African Maroon showcased a diverse afro-fusion repertoire spanning jazz, mbaqanga and blues. Whilst residing in Soweto in the 1960s, Senne was an engaged member of the African National Congress. Grace Senne's apprentices at the Community Dance Teachers Training Course (CDTTC) included Vincent Mantsoe and Gregory Maqoma. Sylvia Glasser described Senne as "a living storehouse of knowledge of traditional African dance".^[59][60]

In 1994, Tananas released Orchestra Mundo which earned them the Best Jazz Performance award at the inaugural, South African Music Awards.^[7]

In 1997, Maqoma had earned a scholarship to attend a choreographic workshop at DanceWeb in Vienna, an experience that broadened his horizons. Choreographer Emio Greco had urged him to "push more, go for more," and had introduced him to improvisation.^[21]

In 1999, Greg Maqoma established The Vuyani Dance Theatre. The Vuyani Dance Theatre derives its name from Maqoma's Xhosa name, "Vuyani," which in English translates to "joy".^[45][21]

Some arrive with just a suitcase. Then in three months they're on a flight to France to perform. We can do six productions in a month. They have to keep up the pace. We don't choose dancers. Dancers choose themselves.

— Greq Maqoma, "Dance: Dancing with the dead", TimesLIVE, 2014

2000s–2010s

Freshlyground was formed in 2002, with its members citing diverse ethnic and multi-national backgrounds, which played a role in the popularization of the afro-fusion musical style as each band member would supply culturally as well as traditionally indigenous, distinctive musical elements for the band's musical compositional forms as well as performances.The band fused traditional South African music as well as afropop genres such as kwela with jazz, indie-rock and blues.^[61][26][62] Violinist and backing vocalist Kyla-Rose Smith was previosly a part of and affiliated to Maqoma's dance company, The Vuyani Dance Theatre. Smith performed at the Centre National de la Danse in Paris as well as co-wrote the music and served as the principal violinist for performances. At the age of 15, Simon Attwell was playing the flute in the Zimbabwe National Orchestra. By 17, Attwell had earned a scholarship to the Chethams School of Music in Manchester. Aron Turest-Swartz had studied piano under Merton Barrow at the Jazz Workshop in Cape Town as a teenager. In 1998, he commenced playing drums and percussion in Dublin. ^[63] The band's songs are multilingual performed in languages such as Xhosa, English, French and Zulu.^[62][64][65]

In 2003,

The Alliance leadership viewed supporting Afro fusion as part of their institution's mission to promote 'artistic and cultural diversity'

— Georgina Born, "Developing Afro-fusion", Music and Digital Media A planetary anthropology

In 2005, Vincent Mantsoe relocated and established his dance company, Association Noa in France.^[5]

In 2006, Freshlyground was awarded the

In 2008, Botswana newpaper Mmegi's writer Tshireletso Motlogelwa wrote a think-piece regarding resemblances between fusion band Freshlyground and the acts that came before them, namely predecessors Mango Groove. Mango Groove is a South African, African popular music ensemble comprising 11 members inclusive of British descent South African Claire Johnston, formed in 1984. The band fuses pop with township music genres like marabi. Freshlyground welcomed their former drummer Peter Cohen into the band in 2002.^[67]

In 2009, Zap Mama released their album ReCreations. Their collaborators spanned a diverse spectrum, ranging from French actor

In 2010, Freshlyground alongside "The Queen of Latin Music", Colombian singer Shakira released the multilingual afro fusion and soca 2010 FIFA World Cup signature-tune "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)".^[13] The fusion song is considered as one of the best selling-singles of all time and obtained number 1 status, in 15 countries.^[68] The music video garnered over 3 billion views on YouTube, succeeding in it being one of the platform's most viewed, videos.^[14]

Simphiwe Dana released her Kulture Noir album, which incorporated elements of afro-juju jazz guitarism by Kunle Ayo, harmonica played by Adam Glasser, Gordon Williams' funk afro-fusion reinterpretation of Miriam Makeba's music, ululation, maskandi-jazz, and acappella.^[69]

In 2011, Stimela's A Lifetime, album released in 2010, received the award for Best Adult Contemporary Album at the South African Music Awards.^[46]

Between the 2010s and 2020s the musical style developed further into having doubly local and regional scenes as more musicians started to experiment with afrofusion. ^[70][71][72]

In 2012, Japanese musician Sakaki Mango fused Japanese

Afrofusion dancer Luyanda Sidiya choreographed Umnikelo, featured in the double bill Mayhem, and it won the Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown that year. Umnikelo incorporated Xhosa traditional lyricism. Sidiya conducted Afro-fusion dance workshops abroad and spent three years in the United Kingdom, initially as a dancer with the ACE Dance and Music Company before assuming the role of rehearsal director.^[74]

In 2013, Nigerian afrofusion and soul singer Villy (Oliseh John Odili) and his band the Xtreme Volumes blended afrobeat, soul and highlife amongst other genres.^[75]

In 2014, Luyanda Sidiya returned from presenting his afro-fusion piece Umnikelo at Vuyani Dance Theatre's, US premiere during the Fall For Dance Festival in New York. The performance garnered positive recognition, including a favorable mention in the New York Times.^[74][76]

Sylvia Glasser and Maria Kint received recognition from former

In 2017, Mokoomba made their debut on Mountain Stage which was recorded live at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston,West Virginia. Mokoomba was formed in 2002. Mokoomba comprises Mathias Muzaza on lead vocals, Trustworth Samende on lead guitar, Abundance Mutori on bass, Donald Moyo on keyboard, Miti Mugande on percussion and Ndaba Coster Moyo on drums.Mokoomba sings in Tongan and Luvale among other languages and fuses Tonga rhythms, soca, soukous, funk, ska, pop and other genres.^[77][78]

In 2018, Raymond Millagre Langa, a founding member of the

Songstress Siphokazi, collaborated with and performed alongside songwriter-singer and humanitarian, Yvonne Chaka Chaka.^[72]

Following 17 years of touring the world,

In 2020, rapper and singer Jidenna's "Feng Shui" song which was featured in HBO's comedy-drama TV series, Insecure was described as an 808s-meets-afrofusion inclusive of a sped-up, highlife guitar sample.^[80] The song was from the singer's 85 to Africa album. Jidenna travelled between two African countries, namely South Africa and Nigeria which the album was inspired by.^[8]

Zolani Mahola, performed alongside South African electronic duo Goldfish and Craig Lucas, who won the second season of The Voice South Africa. They performed at Project Playground’s Safe Space fundraising gala. Swedish television presenter Renée Nyberg hosted the gala, which was streamed live in multiple countries.^[81]

Cape Verde singer Nelson Freitas and Central African record producer Boddhi Satva collaborated for the release of the song "Goofy" from Freitas' kizomba, a dance and musical genre, in itself which originated in Angola in1984 and afro-fusion album, Sempre Verão.^[82][83]

In 2021, Mixmag named Magixx as "Nigeria's next big afro-fusion star". The Mavin Records signee released his debut self-titled extended play, Magixx which incorporated blends of various afropop genres, dancehall and trap.^[84]

South African dance icon, Greg Maqoma showcased his afrofusion dance moves at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, performing alongside former Freshlyground band member, Zolani Mahola.^[85]

Alliance Française organized a panel discussion titled "Music Business and How to Make Afro-Fusion Music Relevant and Consumable Within Tanzania and East Africa".^[86]

In 2022, Vincent Mantsoe was honored as the legacy artist for the 24th Jomba! a contemporary dance experience in Durban.The dance festival, organized by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal returned to live programming after a two-year hiatus. In that year, Jomba! took place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, from August 30, 2022 to September 11, 2022. ^[5]

In 2023,

Broken Chord, a South African production by composer Thuthuka Sibisi, quartet of singers; Nokuthula Magubane, Avuya Ngcaweni, Tshegofatso Khunwane, Luvo Rasemeni and lead by Gregory Maqoma made its US premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.The production focused on the African Native Choir, a group of South African singers who toured England and North America inclusive of an audience with Queen Victoria in the 19th century. During their tour, they encountered racism and harmful colonial mindsets.^[87][88]

Sylvia Glasser and MID's newly appointed artistic director Sunnyboy Mandla Motau premiered freshly commissioned work that celebrated African women and their origins. The double bill dance performance, titled Umthombo/Baobab, was showcased at Durban’s Playhouse Company on August 18, 2023 and August 19, 2023 as part of the SA Women’s Arts Festival 2023. Motau articulated that the performance aimed to highlight Africa's rich cultural heritage, the significance of embracing one's roots, and delved into the journey of personal growth and societal advancement. Motau further expressed a desire to explore African history and narratives predating colonization and humanity teachings of African people. Choreographed by Glasser the performance drew inspiration from the baobab tree's traits, representing a variety of themes such as its unconventional beauty and resilience.^[89]

Ugandan songwriter-singer Joshua Baraka's sophomore EP, Watershed which fused soul, afrofusion and R'n'B debuted at No.1 on Uganda's Apple Music.^[90]

In celebration of his 50th birthday, Greg Maqoma revisited his production Exit/Exist at the Pam Golding Theatre at the Baxter for three exclusive shows, which took place from Thursday, October 5, 2023 to Saturday, October 7, 2023. The production held a significant importance in Maqoma's career over the years and additionally marked his second-to-last performance in South Africa, as Maqoma retired from dancing later that year. Exit/Exist, directed by James Ngcobo, delved into the memory of Maqoma’s distant ancestor, Chief Jongumsobomvu Maqoma, one of the most celebrated Xhosa leaders. Born in 1798, he was imprisoned for ordering the British colonizers to return Xhosa land and ultimately passed away on Robben Island prison in 1873. Gregory Maqoma explored the ancestral reverberations that connected him to that history. He began with portraying urban sophistication in a silk suit, then transitioned through a process of initiation and ritual observance whilst wearing a cowhide tunic, connecting with the memory of his rural ancestor. Prior to Maqoma's performance of the work, he needed to obtain permission directly from the chief. He stood before chief Maqoma's grave on a blustery hill in the Eastern Cape, under rainy skies. Gregory Maqoma said, "It rained the same day his remains were brought from Robben Island." Magqoma further stipulated that "the return of Exit/Exist to the South African audience is not only befitting to the extraordinary journey I have taken so far, but marks 150 years since the passing of my ancestor, Chief Maqoma”. Four vocalists, Tobela Mpela, Sizwe Nhlapo, Lubabalo Velebayi and Sipho Mhlanga, accompanied by world-fusion Italian guitarist Giuliano Modarelli, joined Maqoma live on stage to present the music score composed by Simphiwe Dana, aided by the musical direction of Happy Motha.^{[45] [85][91]}

In 2024, Greg Maqoma was bestowed The Encore Award at the 59th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards in recognition of his adept fusion of contemporary dance and indigenous movement as well as for the lasting impact he has had on South Africa's cultural storytelling.^[92]

See also

• Western dance (Europe and North America)
• Sacred dance
• Ecstatic dance
• Ceremonial dance
• Music of the African diaspora
• African-American dance
• Magogo kaDinuzulu
• Manhattan Brothers
• The Jazz Epistles
• The Skylarks
• Mahotella Queens
• Osibisa
• Assagai
• Savuka
• Skinflint (band)
• Makeba (song)

References