Spirit Moves You

Divine movement: Dance Umbrella brings Afro-fusion dancer Vincent Mantsoe toAustin

Vincent Mantsoe performs "Skwatta."
Photo by: Daniel Aimie
Afro-fusion dancer Vincent Mantsoe.
Vincent Mantsoe performs "Skwatta."
Photo by: Daniel Aimie

Vincent Sekwati Koko Mantsoe has been dancing his entire life.

Born into a South African home of sangomas who employed song and dance in their traditional healing and divination rituals, Mantsoe learned early on from the matriarchs of his family the value and power in choreographed performance.

Once he was introduced to music videos as a child, the Soweto schoolboy began to learn the physical vocabulary of street dancing and hip hop. But it wasn't until Mantsoe joined a formal dance company in Johannesburg where he found the true potential stored in his body's movements.

With the help of his mentor Sylvia Glasser and her Moving Into Dance Company, the boy who learned dance as a method of shamanistic spirituality found new ways to blend ancestral worship into contemporary performance for the stage.

Today, his versatile solo performances also include striking elements of martial arts, Tai Chi, ballet and traditional Balinese dance. Somehow, these disparate styles from three different continents flow effortlessly out of his singular, disciplined body.

The New York Times described Mantsoe's Afro-fusion style as "a direct expression of spiritual connection to something greater than the physical self." Indeed, the choreographer and associate artistic director has struck a chord with audiences all over the world.

This weekend, Mantsoe returns to Austin for two nights only, thanks to the efforts of Austin nonprofit dance company, Dance Umbrella, through the Discover Dance program that exposes Texas audiences to the best dancers in the world.

On Saturday, Mantsoe will perform with Austin's own Heloise Gold in a special invite-only fundraiser called Gula & Gold. Then on Sunday evening, Mantsoe will perform two solo works on the Stateside at the Paramount stage, both sharing the theme of creativity and life perpetuating even in the most impossible conditions.

"NTU" is an abstract piece exploring the continual cycle of ending and creation and the potential that always lies amidst nothingness. "Skwatta," his newest piece, is a demonstration of the kindness and joy that thrive even among the abject poverty of "squatter camps" throughout Africa.

It's rare that Austinites get the opportunity to witness a performance with this much cross-cultural appeal. As Mantsoe speaks not only in the vocabulary of dance but in the languages of three different continents, this is indeed one show you will want to experience in person.

---

Vincent Mantsoe performs at The State Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15.00 - $23.00 and are available through the Paramount website. Tickets are also available for Saturday evening's fundraiser by emailing Dance Umbrella director Phyllis Slattery.

unspecified

New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

museums galleries history texas