South African Choreographer Lungelo Ngamlana: From The Township To The World Stage
Talented South African choreographer, dancer, actor and teacher – Lungelo Ngamlana – who grew up in one of Cape Town’s oldest townships, has been choreographing shows around the world. Nan Melville caught up with him in New York… I met Lungelo at New York Tisch Drama School where he, together with fellow South African music-maker, […]
Talented South African choreographer, dancer, actor and teacher – Lungelo Ngamlana – who grew up in one of Cape Town’s oldest townships, has been choreographing shows around the world. Nan Melville caught up with him in New York…
I met Lungelo at New York Tisch Drama School where he, together with fellow South African music-maker, Nolufefe Mtshode, produced a stunning version of uMabata (the Zulu Macbeth) for the first year drama students. (Watch the video below.)
This is Lungelo’s 25th year in the Arts industry!
His interest in the Arts was sparked as a child living in Nyanga East, Cape Town… next to the Nyanga Arts Development Center. He says he and his friends were not “introduced” to the arts or anything – one’s involvement depended on curiosity. After school they would hang around the Center – and although not allowed inside – would listen to actors rehearsing all sorts of works, music and dance or whatever going on.
As his interest grew, he became involved in a group called Manyanani – which toured internationally with performances – way back in the early ’90s.
Having traveled widely, Lungelo then decided to get his diploma in dance, music and theatre at UCT.
Since then he has choreographed several dance collaborations which include Vooma (with Zip Zap Circus, Jikeleza and the Hout Bay Music Project). A collaborative dance piece was also created for Jikeleza, Cape Academy of Performing Arts and the Zama Dance School.
As a dancer and actor, Lungelo has performed in Die Fledermaus, Pearl Fishers, Aida, I’Tongo, Mountain People and Urban Expression. For Bound Apart and The Piano Player (film) he performed in and choreographed the movement.
Lungelo has been an associate artist of the South African Theater Ensemble, Isango, since 2007.
Watch Lungelo Ngamlana teach New York students Zulu dance and words:
If – when watching the video – you think you see Atandwa Kani there up close – following in father, Dr. John Kani’s, footsteps – YES! – you are right!
Lungelo’s favourite theatre in the world is Shakespeare’s Globe in London. The Globe put out this release in 2012 when Isango performed there: “The unique and much-loved Isango Ensemble from Cape Town… have already enchanted audiences in the West End… They will bring the same modern African sensibility, brimming over with song and dance, to Shakespeare’s great story of seduction and loss of innocence.”
The Isango Ensemble won the prestigious Olivier award in 2008 for The Magic Flute as a best musical production.
Midsummer Night’s Dream and Carmen are other notable productions he has helped produce – winning a Beverley Hills/Hollywood NAACP award for Carmen in 2016. (The NAACP Image Award is an annual awards ceremony presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.)
In November Lungelo was in Cardiff, Wales, doing the choreography for the musical TIGER BAY – which premiered at Arts Scape, Cape Town, in May, this year. TIGER BAY is about how we can live and work better together by doing the little things right.
His next exciting Isango ensemble theatre project is as yet unnamed… “It’s about the sinking of uMendi, the ship that sank and killed lots of South African black men, and there was no compensation or care that was given to them or their families…”
After Dr John Kani’s son Atandwa worked with Lungelo in New York he posted the photo above on Facebook and said: “Master choreographer, champion Artist & Amazing human being… I’m proud to call you my brother taLu Lungelo Ngamlana …”
Lungelo replied: “Thanks man. I’m sure we’ll work together again. You’re such a very disciplined and talented artist – please stay humble as you are sani. This industry needs artists like you. Meeting and get to know each other far from home, God knows.”
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