The opportunity to travel and share your craft is every artists’ dream. For the past 2 years AfroConex has worked with Vandro Poster and during that time we have seen an artists whose dedication to the art of Kuduro has only grown.
As Kuduro dance continues to evolve, it is important to support artists who were part of the foundation of the culture. In the age of social media and viral dance steps, it is often easy to overlook and forget the foundation and origins of the dance. But how can we evolve and know where we are going without knowing the past and origins. How can we be great dancers of a style if all we know is what’s trending.
Vandro represent a link to the past and to the future and for that we deeply admire him. His trip to Mozambique was an effort to continue the cultural links between Mozambique and Angola. Passing on the history and proper technique of Kuduro to a new generation of dancers, many of whom are unfamiliar with the origins of the dance.
A big thank you to everyone who made this exchange policy: Elias of Hodi Maputo Swing and all the collaborators in Maputo.
AFROCONEX: Vandro you were in Mozambique for 5 days giving various workshops in Kuduro and Afrohouse. How would you describe the experience ?
VANDRO: I would describe this experience as the best, because it was all new for me. It was my first international trip as a dance teacher. I met new people and experienced a culture different from mine. I felt like a true professional sharing my knowledge of dance.
AFROCONEX: Angola and Mozambique share a history of Portuguese Colonialism. What similarities and difference did you see during your trip ?
VANDRO: Angola and Mozambique are sister peoples with many similarities, from the Portuguese language, to their national languages and traditions. We have the same history of proclaiming of independence. There are many similarities in rural and urban areas and the two countries still have much to develop.
AFROCONEX: What was the reception to Angolan Kuduro and Afrohouse During your exchange ?
VANDRO: It was great, in fact the Mozambican people have known Kuduro and AfroHouse for a long time. But I felt that for the first time, the association that invited me, the students and so on, had direct contact with the dance (Kuduro and Afro) They were very happy to participate and watch because Kuduro is a very energetic style different from various dance styles. I definitely felt their joy!
AFROCONEX: You represent both the past, present and future when it comes to Angolan urban dance, what else needs to be done to preserve the history of Angolan urban dances ?
VANDRO: What needs to be done primarily is the appreciation of the Kuduro style. There needs to be more dance competitions of large dimensions with exchanges between the new and old generation so that the next generation continues with what they (old generation) started. The lack of contests and initiatives is what made many of the old guard give up and the new ones haven’t truly started developing and evolving the dance.
AFROCONEX: What do you think are some misunderstandings when it comes to Kuduro and Afrohouse dance from Angola ?
VANDRO: the misunderstanding is due to not knowing how to differentiate one style from the other and the mixture that over time many dancers of the old choice were implementing in the AfroHouse, many old KUDURO movements today are classified as AfroHouse movements that leaves the audience without knowing the difference!