Chantal Gondang is a Cameroonian dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and artistic director.
Chantal Gondang | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Cameroon |
| Occupations | Dancer, choreographer, dance teacher and artistic director |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Known for | Founder of the Chantal Gondang Company |
Biography
editGondang 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
edit- 1 2 Ngamo, Mathias Mouendé (3 September 2017). "Chantal Gondang: 25 ans de danse et de passion". Douala Today (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Opening evening of the Euro-Africa Biennale - Dance performance Here and elsewhere". Biennale Euro-Africa. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 3 Nsangou, Ayouba (13 May 2019). "Culture : Quand « Les coépouses » s'expriment en chantant !". Afrikinfo (in French). Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- 1 2 "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.