Gregory Maqoma's much-lauded Rhythm Colour will take the form of a moving tribute to June 16, performed at the Apartheid Museum.

June 13, 2006

THE Apartheid Museum will commemorate the 30th anniversary of 16 June 1976 with a dance piece based on the day's events.

Dancers from Vuyani Dance Theatre and Moving Into Dance Mophatong will collaborate to perform Gregory Maqoma's Rhythm Colour, a dance piece based on the events surrounding the march staged against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.

Maqoma, who uses movement to confront social issues, has "revived the piece to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the youth uprising", according to a Vuyani Dance Theatre release.

Rehearsing for Rhythm Colour at the Apartheid Museum: dancers Melusi Mkhanjane, Okaile Lekarapa, Muzi Shili with voilinist Vusi Hlatshwayo

Rehearsing for Rhythm Colour at the Apartheid Museum: dancers Melusi Mkhanjane, Okaile Lekarapa, Muzi Shili with voilinist Vusi Hlatshwayo

Four musicians will accompany the performance: Bongani Kunene plays the cello, Isaac Molelekoa and Vusi Hlatswayo on violin, and Trevor Kunene on the bass.

"We will be performing on the walkway, not on stage like we usually do," says Sikho Malinga, manager of Vuyani Dance Theatre.

The dance will be staged on Thursday, 15 June, Friday, 16 June and Saturday, 17 June. All shows start at 1pm.

"We will be using museum pictures and the history written or displayed on the walls as our backdrop," said Malinga. Photographs taken on the day by famous South African photojournalist Peter Magubane are also being used.

The Rhythm Colour, inspired by Maqoma's childhood memories and a desire to do something in honour of the youth struggle, was first created for the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2002. It won him the title of Standard Bank Young Artist that year. The piece was co-produced by the Centre National de la Danse of Paris for the FNB Dance Umbrella performance in 2003.

Gregory Maqoma also won FNB Vita Award for choreographer of the year in 1999 for his Rhythm 1 2 3 piece.

Tickets, which cost R25 for adults and R12 for children, pensioners and students, are available at the door.

For more information, call the Vuyani Dance Theatre on 011 882 2776 or 072 238 3392. The Apartheid Museum is situated next to Gold Reef City Theme Park, on the corner of Gold Reef and Northern Parkway roads. Take the Booysens off ramp on the M1 south, and follow the signs to the Museum.