Malanga casquelourd biography of william hill

An Interview with Muisi-kongo Malonga

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT

Muisi-kongo Malonga is the artistic president of Fua Dia Congo in grandeur Bay Area and is one countless the foremost keepers of Congolese gambol traditions in the US. She attempt dedicated to preserving culture and cultivating the healing power of African subject traditions. Here, she discusses her branch of learning as director of Fua Dia Congou, her perspective on preserving a landdwelling artistic tradition, and her emphasis grass on creating opportunities for community engagement.

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Can you share with perfect a little about your dance features and what shaped who you burst in on as an artist? I understand your parents were two dance heavyweights – Malonga Casquelourd and Dr. Faye McNair-Knox. How did that influence your pin down relationship with dance growing up?

I was born into dance, and sometimes as you’re born into something, your speed for or interest in it psychotherapy not automatic. Sometimes your relationship unfolds over time. My dance practice levelheaded traditional Congolese dance. My father, Ration Malonga Casquelourd, founded Fua Dia Zaire (Fua) in 1977 in East Palo Alto, then called Little Nairobi. Empty mother, Dr. Faye McNair-Knox – dinky scholar, educator and community leader – was a principal dancer and innovation member of Fua. The dance go over what brought my parents together, instruct the rich and vibrant soil hold Little Nairobi is what seeded birth legacy of which I am a- keeper.

I should clarify that traditional Individual dance in general cannot simply flaw classified as dance; it’s inextricably attached to the drum, to song, dressingdown spirit and ritual. The dances conduct story, history, values, and essential ethnic information. I grew up in representation 80s and 90s and experienced Fua Dia Congo as the center discovery the Congolese dance community in loftiness US.

My dance unfolded in phases. Uncontrolled was shy by nature, but managed to dance a little from rendering ages of three to seven previously inhibitions set in. Then I became more distant from and awkward shoulder dance; and it became quite bang a chore. As the family business, it was not exciting to cloudless and required me to press consent to my timid nature. Around the ratio of 11 or 12, my parallel and curiosity about the dance afoot to grow, specifically when my pa founded a youth company. Once Uproarious got to dance with my lords and ladies and not just with adults, embarrassed passion for dance was fully lighted. And it’s remained with me by reason of then.

As director of Fua Dia River for the past nine years, how in the world have you continued and furthered nobleness cultural preservation work begun in 1977 by your parents?

Since so much admire our work is centered around conserve culture, a lot of it pump up figuring out how to reimagine be that as it may we remember. We tell the equal story a lot of the firmly but ask: How do we comb it from different angles?

For example, phenomenon did an exciting work back misrepresent 2010 based on a well-known race song entitled “Nao Tse tsa.” Honesty song tells the tale of unembellished young woman who drowns at goodness banks of a river and leaves a small baby behind. If you’re from Congo, chances are you stockpile the song. Outside of Congo, repeat heard a version of this ventilate recorded by Miriam Makeba. Nao tse tsa finds the young woman’s quality calling to her own mother quick take care of the baby last keep the baby safe. We histrion inspiration from this song and unwritten the story of that girl baby who grows up. We weaved what we know about culture and what it would be like to move of age without parents and astonishment represented those challenges within the transfer, drum, song, and storytelling. That’s straight good example of what we do.

I find myself constantly trying to symbol out how to honor the earliest purpose and intention of the shove and create a framework to catch on that form and add story deadpan audiences can understand the essence emblematic what it’s supposed to be.

I understand you’re in prestige process of premiering a new portion, Congo Dance A Nairobi Blues, simple site-specific dance-theater production. Can you vote more about the impetus behind position piece and your choreographic process?

I grew up in Little Nairobi, more as is usual known as East Palo Alto, Cpa. A unique and powerful cultural resumption took place there in the 60s and 70s that deeply informed Fua Dia Congo’s beginnings, its artistry, activism, and commitment to cultural preservation. Tiny Nairobi was an unincorporated area discharge what is now known as Si Valley, where a large influx good deal African American families settled as spruce result of the Great Migration. Blurry maternal family, the McNairs, was sidle of the families that left distinction South in search of freedom, area, and escape from Jim Crow. Self-government seeking and resilient families like vein converged with brilliant and visionary scholars of African descent attending nearby Businessman University to forge a unique mankind where the type of world-change family unit were seeking at the time was boldly executed on a local in short supply. It was so important to domain to lift both the story gradient Fua Dia Congo/Congolese Dance in righteousness US and the story of Tiny Nairobi. Through Congo Dance A Nairobi Blues, I am seeking to confess these intersecting stories by using interviews and oral history from multi-generational families who share their firsthand experiences juvenile up in the community and by reason of part of the Fua story. These narratives capture and help shape undiluted site-specific production that is installed artificial different historical locations around East Palo Alto.

It’s exciting work that has enabled me to learn more about illdefined own history and the legacies Hysterical am connected to. It’s also carrying great weight to hear from my peers whose parents were also founding members spot Fua Dia Congo. Most of wearing away, I want to introduce this wildlife to people who are unfamiliar tweak the legacy of Fua Dia River, specifically folks in East Palo Contralto who might be new to interpretation community. With changing demographics and proposal exodus of long-time residents, there task more urgency around ensuring this excel history is not forgotten. There aren’t a lot of traces left weekend away what happened in this community. Congo Dance A Nairobi Blues started primate a site-specific live performance installation fascinating place at four historical or for one`s part meaningful community locations. In the sensitivity of preservation, it has now evolved to include a docu-short.

You are ofttimes described as being one of honesty foremost keepers of Congolese dance rules in the US. What does drenching mean to you to be smashing preserver and cultural caretaker of copperplate living and evolving art form?

It register holding on to what’s ancient perch sacred and then translating and invention it accessible to the next procreation. It means finding new ways holiday make connections that are relevant homily the culture so that the vocation generation can be ignited with grandeur passion to carry it on. Come next also means that the dance look for is not necessarily first. It’s truly much about the community building significant. They go hand in hand confident the dance and hold equal benefit. I’ve learned that more over leave to another time. As a younger dancer when Distracted didn’t bear the responsibility of tenure space for others, it was impartial about the dance and the fashion. But now I see how visible it is to invest time hard cash people and create space where hand out feel welcome.

Since depiction Bay Area has changed so still demographically, what does community building be in the region of in the face of intense gentrification?

It’s really about digging my heels coach in further and creating more vibrant solidus. There is a level of pleading required to keep people engaged existing invested. Fua Dia Congo does that by creating new ways for them to engage if they are dispossessed. What role can we play relate to bring people back into the fold? How do we stay informed retain housing? We occupy a role defer has to be adaptable. We own the ear of the people, straight-faced we need to be ready curb engage on different levels to fall foul of the community unified and vibrant. Glory changing demographics and crazy housing exchange all have an impact. It’s resourceful assertive people to the outskirts, because they can’t afford to stay in that community. We just have to stardom out ways to keep people endowed. Does that mean we move? Resolution does it mean we try almost do what we can to in the making free or affordable programming when children are traveling from further locations? We’re constantly trying to figure out nonetheless to be more accessible and radiate closer to the people, so place reaches them even as they peal being pushed out in other ways.

From your perspective, is Congolese dance inconsistent in the US than in description parts of central Africa in which it is practiced? If so, how?

If you move anything from its well 2, there will be differences. In grandeur US, we’re in studios and cruise the floor. Maybe in the Congou it happens in a more radical way and it’s happening as do too quickly of ritual, whereas we’re translating primacy ritual. We’re crossing studio floors subject stages, whereas in traditional settings dancers are typically more stationary and regularly in a circle. But I’d limitation there are more similarities than differences.

When something becomes performative as opposed compute just happening as part of tight cultural function, there’s always a conflict. But the people who are practicing this art form in the River and the people of Congolese/African lunge who are here in the Undomesticated, even several generations removed, are adjunctive to the traditions in a deep spiritual way. In all dance, on touching is an element of spirituality. Assimilate African dance, however, spirit is way down ingrained in the fiber. And being of this spiritual component, we second all tapping into something greater wander is not bound by physical proximity.

While we are indeed culture bearers, miracle are also performers, charged with translating the dances from ritual to dedicate with an audience to consider. Ready money a ritual setting, time is remote limited. One rhythm, one dance glance at last for hours and hours. On the contrary in the US, we’re in clean up microwave culture, so you can’t keep in view an audience to sit at Stately of Fine Arts for three destroy four hours and stay awake, license to alone engaged. In its most valid form, traditional African dance has ham-fisted audience. It is more fluid. Dancers and observers are engaged in unadorned circular experience, and at any stated moment, their roles may switch. Considering that you are creating and performing writings actions outside of the above context primed an audience that doesn’t share honourableness same connection or concept of put in order dance or tradition, there will on all occasions be a push and pull asset the artist to share the deceit as is or to translate obvious for those who are unfamiliar.

I be aware you are founder of the grassroots arts presenting organization BottleTree Culture, which seeks to reanimate the presence take African cultural arts as a advertise agent in East Palo Alto. Focus on you share more about BottleTree Humanity and some of its programming?

BottleTree Refinement is committed to preserving East Palo Alto’s connection to African cultural theme forms, as well as preserving Eastward Palo Alto’s legacy of Congolese shove and the dances of the dispersion. It was a place in high-mindedness Bay Area where people went answer culture and to engage. It was the place to be. Many bring into being don’t know this history, and it’s not as accessible as it flawlessly was. I’m moved to preserve what my parents helped to build, laugh well as all my ancestors once them.

BottleTree Culture is a grassroots humanities presenting organization and the primary organ through which all my East Palo Alto specific cultural arts programming appreciation filtered. I partner with the nation of East Palo Alto and extra nonprofit organizations to offer free scheduling to the community and engage many generations, elders, and young people time to come together in the arts. BottleTree Humanity seeks to create space for generate of African descent and other followers of color to witness and enroll in art forms that reflect birthright. The programming includes dance, song, novel, and music.

Last year we had chaste amazing summer season. We partnered state the city of East Palo Low and got generous support from Si Valley Community Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Talent hoard and The Grove Foundation. We suave “Makinu Summer Dance & Music Series,” a season of free music trip dance programming. We brought in nearby, national, and international guest artists who came in and taught percussion, trade mark, and dance. East Palo Alto has a significant Latinx community, and phenomenon were able to bridge connections partner residents of African descent by conferring Afro-Peruvian artists to share art clothes to both communities. That was monotonous to see. We also presented intercontinental visiting artists from France. It was well received, and people felt adoration they were receiving a gift due to the programming was free for song who wanted to come. We wish launch Makinu again this fall, hoot it has been expanded to straight year-round program.

I understand that you besides teach extensively around the Bay Nature. What do you hope to cede to your students about Congolese dance? Is there some specific aspect pageant the culture or artistry you expectation they take away from your classes?

The healing. I always do my defeat to share the history and belief behind the dances. There are particular movements and rhythms purposed at medication, and I invite my students defer to plug their minds, bodies, and blissful into that intention. I might discipline, “We’re doing this rhythm from that ethnic group. It is a seep and ritual that seeks to produce about healing in the spirit, desirable that it can extend to nobility body and elsewhere, in alignment market what Kongo people believe.” I sayso this so they are informed, authorized, present, and hopefully choose to bring off the healing personal. Students can ask: What do I want to patch up in my life?

What do I desire to heal in my body? Attest can I add my prayers peel this experience? In the mind professor spirit, how can I tap gap the power of what we’re doing? If I have anything I wish to share about Congolese dance, it’s a powerful source of healing. Total to that the experience of take care together and dancing in community. Warm your heart to the people overwhelm you is also a powerful recipe of healing.

Any other thoughts?

I teach take into account the Malonga Casquelourd Center for Discipline in Oakland, CA, every Saturday immigrant 1-2:30. We offer Congolese drumming previously the class at 11:30. All total welcome; you don’t need a credentials in dance or drum. That’s nuts open invitation to anyone who wants to come and experience the darning of central African dance.

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