Nhlanhla Mahlangu

Exceptional vocalist, choreographer, composer, theater maker, dancer, and educator Nhlanhla Mahlangu is a graduate of dance teaching at Moving into Dance, Mophatong. Born in Pholapark Squatter Camp in Apartheid South Africa in the late 1970s, Mahlangu started school during the national state of emergency in the 1980s and witnessed first hand the conflicts between the African National Congress, the Inkatha Freedom Party, and the “Third Force” of the 1990s. He can only be described as a generous interdisciplinary collaborator who excels at conjuring original, complex, and contemporary work rooted in traditional forms. Mahlangu is celebrated for his embodiment of Isicathamiya, an a cappella-type musical form combining vocals and movement. He uses this practice as a way to process the history of South Africa, particularly the plight of migrant workers. Mahlangu’s prolific practice is one of interrogation, articulation, development, and research. He has gained exceptional experience through his pivotal collaborations with luminaries like William Kentridge (The Head & the Load, Sibyl, Ursonate, the Centre for the Less Good Idea), Robyn Orlin, Richard Cock, Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, and Sylvia Glasser, as well as through his music making approaches (choral and otherwise) with his Hlabelela Ensemble and Song and Dance Works. Among his many honors, Mahlangu has received the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Choreographer; the Promax Africa Award (2021) for Best Title Sequence in The Estate; New York Dance and Performance (“Bessie”) Awards for Best Composition and Sound Design; recognition from the Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding in 2019 for choreography, casting, and co-directing; and the Special Prize of the Reumert Awards 2020 in Denmark. His latest achievements includes being one of the directors as well as the body orchestrator of Shaka Ilembe, an award-winning and prominent 12-part television series that premiered in South Africa in 2023.