Zab Maboungou is a Franco-Congolese dancer, writer and choreographer.

Biography

Born in France and raised in

Congo-Brazzaville The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, Maboungou is based in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

where she founded the Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata in 1988. She has since choreographed and performed numerous solo and group works, among which ''Mozongi'' which received the Prix de la danse de Montréal in 2015. Maboungou's steadfast advocacy and support of dance and the performing arts of Africa and the diaspora has garnered her numerous prizes and accolades, including being honoured during Kriye Bode’s 5th Annual Colloquium on Haitian Dance & Drum at

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate a ...

. Since 2004 Nyata Nyata has also been a teaching institution, dispensing the two-year Programme d’entraînement et de formation artistique et professionnel en danse (PEFAPDA - artistic and professional training program in dance). Since 2015 Zab Maboungou/Compagnie danse Nyata Nyata has been a member of the

International Dance Council The International Dance Council (CID, standing for French: ''Conseil International de la Danse'') is the umbrella organization for all forms of dance in the world. It is a non-profit international non-governmental organization founded in 1973 " ...

. In May 2019, Maboungou was named to L'Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Dance works

* 1993 : ''Réverdanse'' * 1997 : ''Mozongi'' * 1999 : ''Incantation'' * 2005 : ''Lwáza'' * 2006 : ''Nsamu'' * 2007 : ''Décompte'' * 2009 : ''Gestes Dé/libérés'' * 2010 : ''Montréal by Night'' * 2018 : ''Wamunzo''

Writing

* ''Heya... danse ! Historique, poétique et didactique de la danse africaine'', CIDIHCA, Montréal, Canada, 2005

Prizes

* 1999 : "Grand hommage", Ministry of culture of Cameroon * 2003 : "Pioneer of African Dance in Canada", Dance Immersion, Toronto * 2015 : Prix de la danse de Montréal, Prix du CAM pour la diversité culturelle en danse * 2019 : L’Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec

References

External links

Compagnie danse Nyata Nyata

Documentary film ''Wamunzo en Création''

Documentary film ''Wamunzo en Paroles''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maboungou, Zab French women choreographers French choreographers French female dancers Black Canadian dancers 20th-century French women writers 21st-century French women writers Republic of the Congo women Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian people of Republic of the Congo descent Governor General's Award winners