New dance troupe to preserve, promote cultural heritage

Potential troupe members strutting their stuff at last Friday's audition

Audition for young people who wish to join the new national dance troupe has ended and already the National Arts Council (Nac) is working on a training programme for the 10 male and female dancers chosen for the job.

The aim of the new troupe is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Seychelles.

According to Nac director Emmanuel D'Offay, 25 young men and women enrolled for audition and five pairs (five males and five females) have been chosen to make up the new troupe.

Mr D'Offay said that the panel of judges chose the 10 participants because of their good knowledge of traditional dances, especially the kanmtole.

He said that the 10 dancers were very confident in their steps and had good rhythm, meeting some of the criteria to become national troupe dancers.

Explaining that the level of participation was very good, Mr D'Offay said because 90 percent of those who came for the audition scored above the average mark, it was going to be much easier to train the dancers.

Local experts in various types of traditional dances will train the young dancers how to behave on stage, about the exercises they have to do prior to giving a dance performance, among other skills.

The new troupe is expected to work with other dance groups in the districts and in future teach other young people how to perform the different traditional dances.

According to Mr D'Offay, Nac is expected to organise another audition during the August school holidays for young people who have studied at the National College of the Arts to be part of another new dance troupe to be known as the contemporary dance troupe.

Mr D'Offay added that provisions had been made to get replacements for participants who drop out of both troupes.

Among other projects, Nac will be conducting researches on some of the traditional dances, namely the tinge, kalou pilon, sasasa, madilo, sokwe, which are no longer being practiced.

Members of the traditional dance troupe are to learn these dances so that they can put them on at various venues, including hotels.

In line with Nac's aim to revive our tradition, the council will be conducting workshops for young people on how to beat the moutya drum and lead kanmtole dances.

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