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Joburg will host the 10th annual FNB Dance Umbrella this month, featuring local and international artists.
JOBURG will soon be filled with rhythms, beats, music and modern movements set as a backdrop for stories to be told through dance.
This dance spectacle, co-sponsored by the City of Johannesburg, is the 2010 FNB Dance Umbrella.
Boyzie Cekwana makes a dramatic return to the Dance Umbrella with Influx Controls
For roughly a fortnight, the city will offer new contemporary choreographers and dancers a free platform to showcase a jam-packed programme with new and exciting works from local choreographers including Vincent Mantsoe, Musa Hlatshwayo, Nelisiwe Xaba, Dada Masilo, Boyzie Cekwana and Sello Pesa.
The annual FNB Dance Umbrella, from 27 February to 14 March, takes place at various Johannesburg venues: the Wits Theatre complex in Braamfontein, the University of Johannesburg Centre for the Arts in Auckland Park, the Dance Factory, and the Market Theatre’s Barney Simon theatre in Newtown.
According to Johannesburg’s director for arts, culture and heritage, Steven Sack, “The City is as always delighted at the announcement of the Dance Umbrella’s programme,” as this forms part of other very exciting cultural events taking place throughout the course of the year.
Powerful works
The festival will premiere new commissioned work from local choreographers and invited international companies on the main programme. It will also feature Mixed Bills for shorter works and Stepping Stones for youth and community groups. There will also be a series of dance workshops facilitated by both local and international dance practitioners.
“There are amazingly powerful things this year, such as works from Vincent Mantsoe, whose work premiered in Paris, toured France and then has come to South Africa,” says Georgina Thomson, artistic director of the FNB Dance Umbrella.
She adds that even though this year’s schedule is tighter than previous years’ Dance Umbrella, people will have to dart from one venue to the next, and this will “pull a certain level of excitement”, moving back and forth from the Market Theatre to the Dance Factory and so on.
Thomson says, “It is better to book in advance since we have had full houses for previous shows.”
Journey with the Khoi-San people in San, Vincent Mantsoe's new work (Photo: Pascale Beroujon)
The youth and community programme, Stepping Stones, will take place at the Wits Theatre on Saturday 27 February and Sunday 28 February from 10am. Featuring at Stepping Stones is Dr Ranjit Lalloo’s Jhankhaar School of Dance from Lenasia. Linda Lee Mhlongo and many others form part of this jam-packed two-day programme. Entrance is Free.
Main programme
The Dance Umbrella main programme will start off with a Grand Opening involving a once-off programme in a marquee at the Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown on Monday, 1 March from 6.30pm. A programme of excerpts from this year’s commissioned works will be presented and will give the audience a taste of what’s on offer. Also included in the programme will be the presentation of the Stepping Stones Awards, funded by the National Arts Council. Limited seating is available and tickets will be sold at the door.
It will then be followed by the opening show San, a new work created by Mantsoe, at the Dance Factory, on 2 and 3 March at 7pm. San looks at the journeys and spirits of the Khoi-san people: “They/we are the travellers; they/we are hunters; they/we seek for the new ways to improve culture; they/we are the part and parcel of this life form; they/we are the product of a small seed – a seed that wants to spread itself like the wild sea; they/we are humouring ourselves with ideas that make us happy, sad, angry, love, cry, hate, possessive with beauty/ugliness, nakedness and self pity,” writes Mantsoe.
Black!... White? by Xaba will be presented at the Market Theatre on 2, 3 and 4 March at 8.30pm. It explores themes of racial and social stereotyping and how they distort people’s perceptions of one another. Issues are explored using the socio-economic climate of present-day South Africa as a setting for the narrative, keeping in mind that stereotyping and discrimination are universal.
According to Xaba, “At present, discrimination is still rife in South Africa although the criterion has shifted from race to class and economic power. The performance will ask the question of whether we benefit from focusing on what makes people different from one another – how do our interactions change when we begin to see our similarities or when we are forced on to an equal standing through circumstances beyond our control?”
Gala performance: expect drama from Dada Mashilo's contribution
Hlatshwayo has created a new choreo-poem called Moses, set to be staged at Goethe on Main, 3 and 4 March at 6.30pm, which explores the politics of identity post-former President Thabo Mbeki’s “I-am-an-African” era. The work, described by Hlatshwayo, “follows a socio-political dream that unfolds into an experience led by two youngsters whose journey leads them to challenges that rob them of their youth.
“Silence is a major part of the journey while submission is a subconscious reaction mode. Perhaps a reflection of those who suffer the loss of their innocence in the battles of pride or those whose choices are informed and enforced by the pathways of their leadership as affirmation of their desired identity.”
Mixed bill
The Mixed Bill programme will feature Acty Tang, Sifiso E Kweyama, Roslyn Wood Morris and Craig Morris, Nicola Elliot, Bailey Snyman and Zingi Mkefa. This will be staged on 3 and 4 March at 7.30pm at the Barney Simon Theatre.
Productions for this will include Child, Baffling Silence by Tang and Kweyama respectively and the Dikamoka Dance Theatre will be presenting Lufuno-Love. On 5 and 6 March, at 7.30pm, the Wits Theatre will be staging untitled works from Refilwe Montsho, Sathembiso Khalishwayo, Sabelo Maphumulo and Mdu Mtshali, while Kieron Jina will be showing Facing Shadows, and OKaile William Lekasapa will illustrate Spanish Love.
Foil by Wood-Morris, Story by Elliot, Outside by Snyman and two untitled works by Lucky Kele and Mkefa will be presented at the Barney Simon Theatre on 6 and 7 March at 3pm.
Gala evening
A selection of previous works, over the last 10 years’ works, at the Dance Umbrella will be showcased at the Gala Evening on 5 March at the University of Johannesburg’s Arts Centre.
This includes works from Masilo’s Unraveling Carmen, based on a look at Bizet’s Carmen; Gary Gordon’s Go in which he looks at life from the perception of ageing and moving towards new visions, movements and creativity; also Me and You by Christopher Kindo, created in the mid-1990s; and Black Man...White Balls, by Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, capturing the soccer spirit through contemporary urban forms of dance.
Thabo Rapoo's new work, in conjunction with Moving into Dance Mophatong, can be seen at the Dance Factory
Finally, a special bonus performance of Gula by Mantsoe will be shown, a preview of this will be held for public viewing on 4 March at 8pm.
The Time of Small Berries by Sello Pesa in conjunction with Erf Cultural Collective will be staged at the Dance Factory on 6 March at 7.30 pm and 7 March at 3pm, looking at this particular time in the African calendar when individuals get together to celebrate, bury the past and feast.
Thabo Rapoo’s new work in conjunction with Moving into Dance Mophatong, can be seen at the Dance Factory on 9 and 10 March at 8pm. Batsumi is about men being hunters and women gatherers, looking at stages of trance men before and after hunting and the challenges and journeys they encounter in providing for their families.
Capetonian choreographer Mamela Nyamza and Joburg choreographers Mcebisi Bhayi and William Mbambo have created Triple Bill, a combination of three works, which will be showcased on 13 and 14 March at 2.30pm and 7.30pm (two performances per day) at the Dance Factory.
Nyamza’s Mendi 2 is inspired by an event during 1917, involving a group of South African men with diverse descent coming together for a common cause. Fruitless Tree by Bhayi is inspired by his Asian tour where he was faced to look at himself and the differences around him, helping him understand the concept of existence and non-existence. The last work is Mzobane by William Mbambo, which looks at being in South Africa during the 1980s and pantsula dance playing a role in society at that time.
Ending off the main programme is 1st Draught by Sbonakaliso Ndaba. It was inspired by a programme seen on Third Degree, she says, which dealt with illegal mineworkers and how far they go to survive in mine shafts six stories underground.
But wait ...
There is much more to see on the Dance Umbrella.
Indlela by Luyanda Sidiya is inspired by the different paths people take to find themselves
Elev(i)ate is an interactive installation by choreographer Athena Mazarakis and digital artist Tegan Bristow showcased at the Market Theatre Foyer on 3 and 4 March at various times. It has been described by the pair as an exploration of the possibility of an unmediated, direct and intimate meeting between members of a dance audience and a dance work.
They have previously worked together on Coming To and Chalk Vision, both in 2007. Mazarakis is also a performer in the production that “invites an interaction with members of the audience and explores the poetic value of a simple dance ‘lift’ as the currency of exchange”.
Also at the Barney Simon Theatre on 3 and 4 March from 7.30pm is another Triple Bill featuring works from Acty Tang from Grahamstown, the Dikamoka Dance Theatre and Sifiso Kweyama from Johannesburg.
Konexion, choreographed by the French dance company, Wanted Posse, is a creation illustrating the result of a dialogue between cultures, where everyone has something to say and gestures to share. This encapsulates break dance or gumboots, house or pantsula, hip hop or kwaito, which emerge from this dialogue between bodies converging. It was created after a 15-day residency at the Jerry Zenzile Dance Academy in Soweto and will be staged on 5 and 6 March at 8.30pm and 7 March at 2.30pm.
Choreographers Frauke and Orlando will bring on stage Asymptote, which is a dance that explores the materiality of the body and its relationship to the natural world. “This avant-garde Japanese dance form has inspired, mainly through its originating spirit Tatsumi Hijikata and his principal performer Yoko Ashikawa, a seemingly inexhaustible exploration into the realm of body consciousness.” It will be at the Barney Simon Theatre on 9 and 10 March at 8pm.
The Market Theatre will also host another Double Bill on 9, 10 and 11 March at 8.15pm with works such as Umfula Wa Ma Dada by Dada Masilo, a work she created while in residency in Israel, and Indlela by Luyanda Sidiya, which is inspired by the different paths people take to find themselves.
Boyzie Cekwana returns to the Dance Umbrella with Influx Controls...I wanna be wanna be... and describes it as, looking “at the difference of being black and white and how whiteness is reflected as being good and how this reflects on our lives”. It can be seen on 11 and 12 March at the Dance Factory at 7.30pm.
Faux Ciels (Fake Skies), created by Eric Languet will be staged at the Barney Simon Theatre on 12 and 13 March. It is an interactive piece with an audience looking at what can and cannot be said through dance. A minimum of 10 people will be allowed at each performance; therefore bookings are essential, contact 011 492 0709.
iKapa Dance Theatre will be staging The Stadium, choreographed by Andile Sotiya at the University of Johannesburg’s Arts Centre on 12 and 13 March at 7.30pm. He says, “It uses the cultural complexity of stadiums as urban, creative spaces to re-evaluate the dominance of high-art in a world that is increasingly being characterised by the triumph of the popular.” The choreography revolves around games, issues and athletic dancing; breaking down barriers that inhabit us to play with the pieces or urban existence. According to Sotiya, “this is especially relevant in South Africa where stadiums are used for cultural events as diverse as concerts, political rallies, sporting games and even funerals”.
A set of Master Classes will be on offer, set to start from 1 to 5 March, prepared by Nigel Charnock from Britain. The classes will focus on bringing out creativity in the dancers. The second set of workshops will run from 8 to 13 March and will be facilitated by Israeli dance teacher Dana Ruttenberg.
Once again dance writer, Adrienne Sichel, will host a series of Face-to-Face interviews and discussions with a range of artists during the duration of the Dance Umbrella from Tuesday to Friday at 1pm.
The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 is made possible in conjunction with the City of Johannesburg, First National Bank, the National Arts Council, The Market Theatre, The French Institute of South Africa, the French Consul South Africa, Culturesfrance, Business and Arts South Africa, The Goethe-Institute Johannesburg, The British Council, CitiVibe, Classic Feel magazine, Artslink.co.za, and Africalia.
Lastly companies appearing will include Jazzart Dance Theatre from Cape Town and Moving into Dance Mophatong from Johannesburg.
Tickets for the FNB Dance Umbrella will be made available through Computicket - 083 915 8000 and prices range from R60 to R100. Alternatively tickets can be obtained at the door. Concessions/block bookings and subscription tickets are available.
If individuals book for three or more programmes they will receive a 20 percent discount, while block bookings of 10 or more includes a 30 percent discount.
For additional information call 082 570 3083 or 011 492 0709 / 2033 or e-mail
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The Dance Umbrella 2010 hot-line for updates and programme schedules is 072 703 9332. Visit www.artslink.co.za
for more information.
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