On October 2, we will gather to celebrate the launch of the Mozongi, Traces et Mémoires – Boîte chorégraphique. Reserve your evening!
Espace Perreault Choreographic Transmission and Zab Maboungou / Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata are thrilled to invite you to celebrate the launch of the Mozongi Traces et Mémoires Choreographic Toolkit on Thursday, October 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Studio Nyata Nyata.
A choreographic toolkit brings together the meaningful elements needed to recreate and understand a piece of work; it documents it, preserves it and ensures its transmission over time.
The poetics of Zab Maboungou for performers and musicians, Mozongi, means “Those who return” in Lingala, a language spoken in both Congos. It’s a way of saying that the dead are never gone, and that we, the living, become witnesses for the dead. Mozongi is about the bond between the living and the dead. It is a dance of time, in which dancers seek to endure. The space of the work is shaped by sound and silence, a space that dilates and contracts as the music unfolds. This masterpiece of the Nyata Nyata repertoire explores African aesthetics in music and dance in the contemporary world.
The multifaceted toolkit stays as close as possible to the creative process for the work, its meaning, its essence. It features writing by Zab Maboungou and Katya Montaignac, along with reflections from 12 dancers and two drummers.
“How do you introduce something born of the unexpected that keeps renewing itself, each time shedding light on moments of my life spent dancing? And when did the imagined dances first appear? What world did they truly emerge from? Mozongi, I believe, was born from that persistent passion taking shape… a passion whose spatial unfolding I had already imagined separately.” Zab Maboungou
“I’ve always preferred to approach dance through subjective and sensory narratives, rather than through formal description. I invite readers to venture into the Mozongi Choreographic Toolkit through a polyphony of voices. Like a kaleidoscope gathering different perspectives on the piece, each one offers its own vision, colouring it with its own sensibilities, working on one part of a shared fiction.” Katya Montaignac
The result is a stunning publication that takes a deep dive into the work and understands its impact on the artists who performed it. The toolkit is available in paper and digital formats, and the latest version also offers access to rehearsal videos, the full performance and the show’s technical documents. Espace Perreault is also making excerpts from the toolkit, interviews and videos available for free on its website, using a dynamic, engaging interface.
This monumental work would not have been possible without the tireless commitment of invaluable artists and partners:
Text: Zab Maboungou, Katya Montaignac
Testimonials: Marie-Denise Bettez, Kristina Brown, Reena Almoneda Chang, Daniel Diaz, Aïchatou Erna Labarang, Mona El Husseini, Marie-Claude Gervais, Maryse Jeanneau, Marion Landers, Thierry Liverpol, Claudine Malard, Bruno Martinez, Elli Miller-Maboungou, Jeanne Maugenest, Raphaëlle Perreault, George Stamos
Ideation and research: Katya Montaignac
Copyediting: Romy Snauwaert
Proofreading: Ariane Dessaulles, Lise Gagnon
General coordination: Ariane Dessaulles
Creation of the press kit and references: Katya Montaignac
Graphic design and page layout: Anne-Laure Jean
Webmaster: Guillaume Sanfaçon (Viande & Substituts)
Recording and editing of video interviews for the digital toolkit: Armando Menicacci, Studio SIT
Finally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and its Exploration and Digital Deployment program, which supported the project, and to the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture for its invaluable support.
The paper and digital versions will be sold at the event
Launch price, paper version, individuals: $30
Regular price:
Institutions: $75/ paper, $100 / digital
Individuals: $35/ paper, $45 / digital
We accept debit and credit cards, cheques and cash.
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Studio Nyata Nyata
4231, boul. Saint-Laurent
Montreal
5:30 p.m.
R.S.V.P. before September 25, 2025
Wine and snacks will be served
