Chantal Gondang
Chantal Gondang | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cameroon |
| Occupations | Dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and artistic director |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Founder of the Chantal Gondang Company |
Chantal Gondang is a Cameroonian dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and artistic director.
Biography
Gondang was born in Cameroon and settled in France in 1982, when she was aged 18. She moved to France to pursue a career as a dancer, despite how her family had expressed that they wished to see their daughter become a doctor or an engineer.[1] In France, Gondang trained at the House of Youth and Cultures (French: la Maison des jeunes et des cultures) and studied ballet, jazz and Latin dance styles.[1] She was introduced to contemporary dance by Peter Goss.[2] She draws inspiration from traditional folkloric African dance forms to create Afro-contemporary dance forms.[2][3]
From 1989, Gondang taught dance at schools in Paris, France.[2][4] In April 2001, she founded the Chantal Gondang Company,[5] of which she is the choreographer and artistic director, and began organising dance exchanges between Cameroon and France.[2] From 2004, Gondang ran the Sanaga dance school in Le Plessis-Trévise, Île-de-France.[2][3]
After returning to Cameroon in 2013,[6] Gondang established her dance company in Douala, Cameroon.[5] The company have performed at the Goethe-Institut in Munich, Germany;[7] at the European Contemporary Dance Festival in Poland; at the Biennale Euro-Africa in Montpellier, France; at the Cartoucherie de Paris in France; and at the MAM Gallery in Douala, Cameroon.[2]
In 2014, Gondang worked on a performance inspired by the African American singer-songwriter and civil rights activist Nina Simone.[6]
In 2019, Gondang choreographed the musical comedy Les coépouses (The co-wives), which tells the story of a widowed mother called Magwé and her son Nsemen in the village of Bigna. Magwé attempts to impose four co-wives on Nsemen, who instead falls in love with a rebellious girl named Kétura. The story is told through the traditional dances from different regions of Cameroon, mixed with modern dance.[5]
In 2021, Gondang presented "Le Cri du Silence" (The Cry of Silence) at the French Institute of Cameroon in Douala. The performance explored the psychological, sexual and socio-economic repercussions of violence against men.[8]
References
- ^ a b Ngamo, Mathias Mouendé (3 September 2017). "Chantal Gondang: 25 ans de danse et de passion". Douala Today (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f "Opening evening of the Euro-Africa Biennale - Dance performance Here and elsewhere". Biennale Euro-Africa. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b Onana, Bertin (11 April 2013). "La compagnie Chantal Gondang en spectacle de danse contemporaine". Journal du Cameroun (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "Ici Ailleurs". Théâtre de la ville de Paris (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b c Nsangou, Ayouba (13 May 2019). "Culture : Quand « Les coépouses » s'expriment en chantant !". Afrikinfo (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ a b "L'insolite selon Chantal Gondang". CamerounWeb (in French). 12 April 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "HILFSFOND". Goethe-Institut (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ "Danse: "Le Cri du Silence" de la Compagnie Chantal Gondang à l'Institut Français de Douala le 12 Mars 2021". Showbook Africa. Retrieved 11 March 2026.