BY LUCIA MAURO
In the Bantu language, "muntu" means "the essence of humanity." Therefore, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, is not restricted to a movement vocabulary. Its synthesis of dance, rhythm and song rooted in ancient and contemporary African/African-American culture also encompasses cuisine, language, dress, ritual and spirituality.
Muntu, which simultaneously looks back to its ancestors and forward to future generations, requires its ensemble members to conduct research on the cultural and historical significance of all its works (including travel to other countries) so that they can carry the title of teacher-artist.
"We have to research all aspects of our culture," says artistic director Amaniyea Payne, "because it’s all one. We look at it as a living art form.
"And we must be conscious of how do we take from the old and apply it to the new without losing integrity or respect? At the same time, we want to engage young people to become inspired, ignited and transformed."
The professional adult ensemble of dancers-musicians numbers 20 and Muntu’s total group of artists ranges in age from 8 to over 50. Workshops, classes and an apprentice program at their current Kennedy-King College base (6800 S. Wentworth Ave.) involve close to 200 students. The company’s Performing Arts Institute (also at Kennedy-King College) was established by dancer-teacher Vaune Blalock and includes courses in arts administration, dance and music, and the histories/traditions of African/African-American cultures and the whole African Diaspora.
"We’re a well of resources," says Payne, "from dance and music to language arts, visual arts and culinary arts. It’s the culture–the culture as a whole."
Often, Muntu merges its different generations of artists in performance. And, according to Payne, they all work together to teach each other. "My young people have developed their discipline by working alongside the adults. I don’t put them in separate categories, like a youth ensemble. The young people bring so much energy that they charge the elders in the company."
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago grew out of another local organization committed to "unifying humanity through creative expression" in 1972. During this era of intense cultural exploration, Payne–a former principal dancer with New York City’s International African American Ballet–explained how African-based companies were important forums "for allowing the creative spirit from within to always have a voice." Her involvement as a performer-choreographer with Muntu began in the early 1980s.
One of the factors in the troupe’s ongoing growth is its ability to partner with communities and develop an expansive repertoire. It includes traditional African dances (like the full-length Senegalese ballet, Woloba), as well as contemporary works reflecting the African-American experience (like Fat Tuesday and All That Jazz, a Mardi Gras ballet where the company is joined by a jazz ensemble). Then there’s an entire repertoire of dances from the West Indies, Europe, South America and beyond.
Most recently, Muntu artists performed as part of DanceAfrica Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre. They premiered DanceAfrica founder Chuck Davis’ Junkanoo, a Carnaval-like percussive ensemble work traced to West Africa but carried to the Caribbean and the plantations of North Carolina, where slaves performed it during the Christmas holidays. Payne points out that the traditional drums came out of Jamaica, where the Junkanoo is still performed, and the chants reflect an early form of Ebonics.
Education is central to Muntu. And it has built a massive educational/outreach sector. It includes the following programs that reach people of all ages: full concerts, lecture-demonstrations, in-school residencies, abridged ensemble performances, family-dance classes, interactive instructional workshops, and artistic training and master classes.
"The key is educating while you’re entertaining," says Payne, who acknowledges that dance in general can only bring in more audiences if they better understand the art form. "We speak a lot to the audience. Because we have to educate ourselves through research, we can speak confidently about our culture. We put our best orators forth to enlighten as well as inspire. It makes people trust us."
Muntu also promotes collaborations–like an ongoing one with the Jazz Institute and its "Meet the Composers" events–to help diversify its organization. Throughout its 30th anniversary season, Muntu will present concerts (including Dances for the Soul, Dec. 12-15, at Kennedy-King College) and will embark on weekend tours to Indiana, Nebraska and Ohio. Payne and her colleagues will be teaching at their facility, as well as public schools, the park district, churches and at the Department of Children and Family Services throughout Chicago.
Payne is also anxious for Muntu and the City of Chicago to close soon on the property (two now-closed stores) on the northeast corner of 47th St. and Greenwood Ave.–"so we can break ground!" The company’s aim is to transform the space into an $11 million arts complex with three dance studios, music rooms, a 400-seat theatre, and retail/commercial space. Now in the midst of a fundraising campaign, it has reached half of its monetary objective.
"Our goal is to open next year," announces Payne with a note of understandable caution in her voice. "But we can’t give a specific date. Right now, we’re sitting on the edge of our seats to do our groundbreaking at any moment. We’re just waiting for the City to complete the process."
The artistic director, an admitted optimist, cites a book–"The Poor Dancer’s Almanac"–in which it speaks of dance in the hierarchy of the arts as typically landing at the bottom of the totem pole. But instead of viewing this as an insurmountable obstacle, Payne looks at it this way: "If dance is at the bottom, it holds up the whole pole. Without it, the other arts would come toppling down."
Muntu, however, doesn’t just support the others. It has found an enriching way to merge all the disciplines on the totem pole.
Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, 6800 S. Wentworth Ave. Tel. 773/602-1135; www.muntu.com.