Janeth Mulapa – The voice in motion

She dances as if she were talking. The movement is the voice making us look at issues such as war and gender. She is now working on Sónias. Here she is, Janeth Mulapa, in person.

▶  When did you get into professional dancing?

When she was younger, in family gatherings, she would watch people dance and when she returned home, she would perform the steps. From a certain point on, when I would dance, other family members asked my father why he didn’t put me in Dance School. But he didn’t see it with good eyes and always focused on sports. And he said that when I was in 12th grade we would talk. Upon entering college, a friend brought a brochure from a new dance school that offered scholarships.  So, through my mother, I asked for permission again. At that point, he had no choice but to accept.  When I finished, there was no scholarship, but I was invited to be part of the school’s Company. So, I went on a tour in the south of Mozambique, but it was something related to physical education. In 2002, I participated in an audition where 15 dancers were selected to work with international choreographers. After the training program and an exhibition in Maputo, we were invited to tour abroad. After that tour I never stopped.

Advertising

▶ Were solo plays a necessity?

I started in 2014. I did the first project, it was good for someone who was starting and then I made the play O Meu Género Mora Aqui, curiously the video that went viral where I am dancing with the Portuguese prime minister, António Costa, is a small sample of the play. After that came other works.

▶ Is gender a concern when you decide to create?

I am not a feminist, but I address issues related to the space of women in society. I’m very fair and I like things to be equitable. Also, I address the need for peace. The show Vozes is an expression of solidarity with the victims of war in the world. And we have seen several wars in recent times.

▶ Where do you want to take your audience when you’re on stage?

I want the public to travel with me. I want people to leave feeling different than when they walked in. But the journey is always individual.

▶ She is working on Sónias, which we have already watched on stage.

The Sónias project is a work that is still under construction. So, what we presented at the Franco-Mozambican Cultural Center was a rehearsal with the participation of the public. We have an idea of what we want, so we take people (audience) and embark on a journey.

▶  Highlights

In “Sónias”, with choreography by Horácio Macuácua, Janeth works with the German dancer, Anika Sónia.

“I’m very fair and I like things to be equitable”.

Issue 76 Nov/Dec| Download.