Extract 3 from The Flower of Shembe - a mythic operetta about faith and destiny It is a fictional narrative, based loosely on the lives of past messiahs (including the celebrated Isaiah Shembe, founder of the iBandla la maNazaretha church of Zululand). Shembe the man also had many detractors however, who saw him variously as a radical revolutionary, a charlatan and/or a trickster-magician. The music play, flower of shembe, is a re-imagining of what trials and tribulations might befall a messiah-in-the-making coming to terms with their own destiny. Its musical idiom is 'elastically' Pan African, drawing vastly from urban Zulu music modes and harmonization weaved together with modern chamber orchestra accompaniment. The music play makes deliberate use of quirky, jagged language and sung speech -- a stylized technique often employed by composer and librettist, Neo Muyanga and his NeoSong Company. This brand new production showcases Muyanga in collaboration with a bevy of theatre and new media mavericks: Ina Wichterich - theatre director, choreographer and former dancer with the Pina Bausch company, Wuppertal, Germany. Craig Leo - theatre designer, aerial acrobat and performer-member of the Handspring Puppet Company, Cape Town, South Africa. Dianne Schepers - fine artist, felt architect and international designer based in Switzerland. the production boasts a multi-award winning cast starring: Chuma Sopotela Fleur du Cap best actress 2010. Faniswa Yisa Best foreign production for every year everyday I am walking at the Argentinian theatre awards 2009. The flower of shembe production sees this creative team bring to life a sacred garden -- home of the new Shembe -- made out of pure-felt sculpture. Stop-frame hand-drawn animation and a special set of mechanical/felted wings help illustrate this epic 21st century tale of a young hero reluctant to become the reincarnation of a messiah. Neo Muyanga Composer & musical director I am keenly interested in story-telling. it is from the telling of our dreams that we gather the energies needed to craft our new reality Acclaimed South African musical director, songwriter and composer Neo Muyanga was born in Soweto, into a long-line of traditional composers and musicians. Neo is son of the Muyanga clan (Chopi musicians and inventors of the musical instrument, the Timbila, Mozambique) and the Shembe clan (distant relation to Isaiah Shembe, prophet and founder of the Shembe church/liturgy, Zululand). Neo studied the Italian Madrigal tradition with choral maestro, Piero Poclen, in Trieste, Italy. In the mid 90′s Neo co-founded the acoustic guitar duo, BLK Sonshine (with Masauko Chipembere) garnering critical acclaim throughout Southern Africa and on tours Internationally. Neo writes music plays and composes for chorus, chamber and large ensemble. He continues to tour widely as a solo performer and as a member of Blk Sonshine. Neo composes in a hybrid style, mixing pentatonic Southern African composition technique and township theatre with Italian 'art' music. He also curates the Pan African Space Station -- a portal that plays host to an archive of contemporary Pan African sound and art on the internet and in live venues across Cape Town and the globe. www.neosong.net Extract recorded at the Dance Factory, Jophannesburg, South Africa, July 9, 2012 Full show and extract television production by Competent Artistes www.competentartistes.tv

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