Bay Area Premiere!
Gregory Maqoma/Vuyani Dance Theatre
Beautiful Me
I am Gregory Maqoma, an African dancer. I have plenty of exotic stories to sell. Which one would you like to hear tonight?
"Maqoma's ironic spoken words, even in English, were trumped by his sweet physical embodiment of movement traditions and fusions…Beautiful Me was the dance of a man who clearly knows who he is and wants to share it."
—Read the entire Oakland Tribune review »
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By: James Im - Oct/9/2009 5:07 PM
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Gregory Maqoma
Gregory Vuyani Maqoma (Artistic Director, Vuyani Dance Theatre / choreographer, performer) started creating dance work while in a youth club in Johannesburg. He began his formal training with Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM), a Johannesburg based dance school and company, in 1990. A year later he was accepted as a member of the company and in 1994 he created his first work for them. In 1997 he was awarded a scholarship to attend a 5-week choreographic program, Dance Web, in Vienna and in 1999 he received a scholarship to study at P.A.R.T.S (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios) in Brussels under the direction of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. While in Brussels, Maqoma formed Vuyani Dance Theatre Project.
Since then he has choreographed several works including: Layers of Time; Rhythm 1, 2, 3; Rhythm Blues; ...and denial, and silence and ignorance…, commissioned by the Pretoria Technikon Dance Department; Autumn Harvest, commissioned by the International School Company in Amsterdam; Revolution, for the Dunhill Symphony of Fire in Lagos, Nigeria; Southern Comfort; miss thandi, a moving tribute to Raymond Matinyane commissioned by FNB Vita Dance Umbrella 2002; Ék se...Hola; Rhythm Colour; Rephrase a replay for Jazzart Dance Company in Cape Town; KETIMA; and most recently Beautiful Trilogy, of which Beautiful Me is the final part.
His work has garnered him several awards including FNB Vita Pick of the Fringe Award; FNB Vita Pick of the Stepping Stones Award; 1998 FNB Vita Young Choreographers Grant; 2000 FNB Vita Choreographer of the Year; 2001 FNB Vita Best Choreography Award; and 2002 Standard Bank Young Artist for Dance Award. In 2002, he was nominated for the prestigious DaimlerChrysler Award, and in 2004 Maqoma was among the finalists selected as potential Protégés for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.
Under Maqoma's direction, The Vuyani Dance Theatre Project has grown to include The Vuyani Ensemble, a project-based experimental jazz ensemble, which aims to create a language of music which is representative of the company vision and performance style, as well as an Outreach program to reach diverse communities.
In addition to working as a choreographer, in 2002 Maqoma co-produced New Directions, a dance program for the Standard Bank National Arts Festival, together with Moeketsi Koena, Sello Pesa and Mandla Mcunu. In 2003, he acted as Artistic Leader for Afro-Vibes Festival based in Holland. Currently he is Associate Artistic Director for Moving Into Dance Company. Additionally, Maqoma teaches and choreographs for other companies and institutions and gives workshops on African dance and culture and choreography internationally.