How Anansi Freed the Stories of the World

How Anansi freed the stories of the world is the first in a new series of productions to be presented jointly by Dutch National Opera and Dutch National Ballet in the coming years. For this special family performance, the makers delved into the story of the mythical spider Anansi, which originated in Ghana and then became known – in various versions – in the rest of West Africa, in Suriname and in the Caribbean. In this show for the whole family, the ingenious spider, whose cleverness is unmatched and who always manages to escape by the skin of his teeth, frees the world’s captive stories from the claws of the sly tiger Tigri. Though it goes without saying that this is no walk in the park.

‘This special world premiere opens doors to new stories, new sounds and new voices.’

 

The power of telling stories

This new music theatre production has been created by a very versatile artistic team and is a playful marriage of different cultures, sounds and stories. Neo Muyanga’s colourful composition takes you on a musical journey in which Western music styles are interwoven with Afro-Caribbean influences and West African percussion. In the innovative direction of Kenza Koutchoukali and the choreography of Shailesh Bahoran, promising soloists and the classically trained dancers of the Junior Company join forces with hip-hop dancers and various instrumentalists. Anansi, therefore, does not tell the story on his own, because, following the African oral tradition, telling stories is something you do together. The colourful sets and costumes are designed by Dieuweke van Reij.

Multitude of voices

Let yourself be enchanted by the adventures of the inventive spider Anansi. The title role is sung by the young South African tenor Zwakele Tshabalala. Latvian bass Agris Hartmanis sings the role of his opponent Tigri. They are joined on stage by DNO audience favourites Claron McFadden, Katia Ledoux and Martin Mkhize.

Anansi-toris

The libretto is based on the Anansi-toris: the numerous narratives featuring the spider Anansi. Originating from Western Africa, they have spread around the world with the African diaspora. Each narrative is unique because every narrator recounts an Anansi-tori in his or her own way.