Manta
Manta is aimed specifically at the very young from 4 to 24 months, but is a joy and caress of the senses for young and old alike.
Manta transforms into a poetic dance with 3 musicians.
Sound Nest was inspired by the special visual presence and movements of the Manta giant ray from the ocean. With glass art, wood and textiles the installation took shape. The music is based on old and contemporary music combined with polyrhythmic compositions. This goes hand in hand with improvisations in and with the installation and the audience. Repetition and repetitive elements form the basis for this journey.
The installation is a safe, secure environment that invites to explore, wonder and play.
Children from 4 months to 24 months
In nurseries, Sound Nest brings the adapted Mini Manta performance.
Liesbeth Bodyn (creation, artistic direction & singing), Celine Debacquer or Jozefien Derweduwen (singing), Jeroen Van der Fraenen (scenography & technical coordination), Annemie Osborne (cello, voice & composition), Aya Suzuki (percussion & voice), Tine Allegaert, Rebecca Van Bogaert & Indré Jurguleviciute (composition), Tchi-ann Liu (movement coach)
Atelier Mestdagh / Ingrid Meyvaert (stained glass), Nova Villa (Reims) - Het Lab CCHA (Hasselt) & Rotondes (Luxembourg) (coproduction). Thanks to Musica (Hasselt), Schouwburg Kortrijk + Buda (Kortrijk), Peter Ingelbeen (light)
This performance was made possible with the support of the Flemish Community and the City of Ghent.
© Elena Whiskers (6 last ones)
"Sound Nest creates warm performances and installations, giving children safe visual and musical impressions from a great artistic and pedagogical professionalism."
(An - Youth programme curator)
"Manta is not a show for babies. Nor is it a show for that matter.... Manta, these are moments. Moments with babies. Moments of deep sensory experiences for the little ones, but also for the older ones who accompany them. Timeless time, infinite freedom. Nothing is imposed, everything is suggested."
(Jeanne Ashbé – Author and illustrator of children's books)
"A new world awakens... A voice, accompanied by the sound of a cello, reaches the ears of the very young. Deep inside, they listen, living a sensory experience that reaches far beyond the everyday state. Liesbeth adds a unique dimension to her creation: she offers little ones not only the opportunity to see and hear her, but also to meet her.... Just as Liesbeth adds the dimension of encounter to her creation, Jeroen van der Fraenen, with his stunning sets, provides a dimension of exceptional beauty. The set is not an inlay, it is a work of art in itself, enriching the senses.... Klankennest combines artistic talent and deep attention to the very young..."
(Cécile El Mehdi – Clinical psychologist)
"We welcomed Manta for around forty performances in Sarthe as part of the Rézo Jeune Public network. The show received unanimous praise from adults and children, professionals and parents alike. For us, Manta is a beautiful artistic creation that cares equally for young children, adults, and the bond that connects them. It offers a suspended, intimate bubble for toddlers and their accompanying adults, nurtured by the artists with accuracy, gentleness, and poetry.
The performance awakens all the senses. While it conveys a feeling of great simplicity, it is clear that meticulous attention has been given to every detail: the scenography, lighting, music, voice, and above all the artists’ gaze and interaction with the children. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the Sound Nest team. In short: pure joy!"
(Hélène Péan – CRJP72 coordinator and facilitator of the Réseau Jeune Public Sarthe)
There are few moments in our daily lives when time truly seems to stand still. Manta is one of them.
Time slows down, making space for a quality of presence that has become all too rare. For a little while, we are simply there, alongside the very youngest children - watching, listening and feeling.
What moves us so deeply in Manta is the profound respect it shows for very young children. Nothing is demonstrative, nothing is forced. Everything seems to have been conceived from who they truly are: their vitality, their vulnerability, their need for movement as much as for reassurance. This deep understanding of early childhood never overshadows the artistic vision; rather, it is the foundation on which it rests.
From this understanding emerges a remarkable sense of freedom. Here, children are free to choose where they want to be. They can move around, observe from near or far, come closer or wander away. And because they are welcomed with such trust, the adults gradually find their own place as well. They stop guiding, watching over and anticipating. They become fully present. They begin to see their child differently. They allow themselves to be carried by the same emotion and, at last, to let go.
The raw materials, the colours, the stained-glass-inspired light, the delicacy and precision of the music, and the generous, deeply authentic presence of the performers create a world of great poetry that never feels simplified. A gentle cocoon where everyone is welcomed with the same care.
Manta is a quiet manifesto. It affirms that the very youngest deserve what is most demanding, most delicate and most beautiful. That they are audiences in their own right. That they need art just as much as they need care and attention.
Manta cares for babies. It cares for adults. It cares for the bond between them.
And perhaps that is the greatest gift of all.
(Adeline Rousseau – Young audiences Le Mans)