TD Bank Group to Sponsor DanceWork's Vincent Mantsoe January Performance

DanceWorks, Toronto's longest running contemporary dance series, is delighted to announce that TD Bank Group is sponsoring the return of award-winning South African dance artist Vincent Mantsoe, a "magnetic soloist" (The Guardian), last seen in Toronto a decade ago when his 2005 DanceWorks presentation left audiences in awe.

An excellent fit with TD's Diversity Mission and embedded diversity community investment approach to global communities, Mantsoe performs his ground-breaking solo works NTU (Nothing) and Skwatta at Harbourfront Centre Theatre from January 29-31, 2015 @ 8pm nightly as part of Harbourfront Centre's NextSteps Series.

On a tour with the Canadian premiere of these works, after performing in Montreal at MAI and Toronto, he heads to Peterborough's Public Energy on Feb 3, Ottawa's National Arts Centre Feb. 5-7 and on to Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver Feb 11 - 14.

An incomparable artist, Vincent Mantsoe's unique Afro-fusion language and approach to dance-making have captivated audiences around the world, mixing traditional African dance with contemporary Western street styles and martial arts to create exhilarating performances. He embodies control, intensity, and absolute commitment.

The program is comprised of two riveting solos - NTU and Skwatta - choreographed and performed by Mantsoe, both embodying the limitless spirituality and realities of his South African homeland, brought to life through his forceful, sinewy and tense performance.

Reflecting on the poverty-stricken life in South Africa, NTU deals with nothingness, while Skwatta says there is something happening within that nothingness. Both works are politically and socially charged; Mantsoe finds hope and salvation in the human spirit - often fragile and tortured, but capable of great dignity and pride.

NTU (Nothing), an intuitive ritual dance, takes us into nothingness, the place where all is possible. Even if nothingness pervades, there is always something taking form. Creation is not an end in itself, but rather the path to get there. Skwatta is a reflection on the misery afflicting the informal settlements or "squatter" camps in the the townships of South Africa, where Vincent Mantsoe himself grew up. In these settlements, laughing or smiling portrays every corner of hell, from pointless arguments to strange echoes of precious cries.