JOMBA! KHULUMA - the blog for the JOMBA! CONTEMPORARY DANCE EXPERIENCE

"more..more..more..future" reviews

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:41:00 +0000

more ...more …more …future has its final Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience performance tonight (September 7 at 7.30pm), in the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, then moves to New Dance 2011, in Johannesburg, at the Dance Factory (September 9 and 10 at 8pm).

DOPING UP ON ESCAPISM

Julia Wilson

The performance has begun before the audience walks into the theatre.

The band stands on stage in absolute stillness but for the shimmer of their sequined, kaleidoscopically iridescent suits. The dancers move almost imperceptibly into the stage space, slowly donning massive coats made of recycled plastic carrier bags.

Faustian Linyekula's more… more…more… future denies virtuoso movement for a simper vocabulary- parts of the body are isolated and small movements cause the inflated costumes created by Xuly Bët (Paris) to expand, contract, sway and shift.

Linyekula explains that the artist constructing these costumes is not only interested in recycling materials, but also concepts. The costumes become not only a visual metaphor for the burdens one carries through the day, shed only in the life of the party, but also an extension of the dancing body. The oversized plastic coats contribute to the initially ambient music played on the electric guitar, rustling as the performers’ movements become bigger and wilder and the music escalates to an angry, heavy noise reminiscent of the punk movement of the late 70s and 80s. The dancers begin to jump up and down, spiraling faster and faster.

What is so remarkable about the work is the way in which the music and movement, as well as the musicians and dancers, are so effortlessly blended. Rather than being relegated to a small corner of the stage, the band, composed of Flamme Kapaya, Patou “Tempête” Kayembe, Rémi Bassinta Night Ness and singers Le Coq and Pasnas are spread across the space, forcing the dancers to navigate the spaces in between. The soundtrack is a seamless blend of elements, at times resembling the sound of whale song, building flowingly into chaotic sound that is almost deafening. The musicians are as performative as the dancers, expressing both rage and humour at a lifestyle which is destructive and yet a means of escapism for those living in the hangover of war, with no hope of a better future.

Dancers Dinozord, Papy Ebotani and Linyekula himself are incredible vehicles for expression. They create portraits of Everyman, lurching drunkenly across the dance-floor, enraged and yet helpless, transforming into insects shedding a dried out exoskeleton. The movement borrows from many forms, making use of the way in which people dance at parties in a parody of themselves, and incorporating African song and dance, break dancing and contemporary. They alternately fight the musicians or appreciate their music.

While many of the lyrics are written in French, and translated into English via projection, the effects of globalisation become apparent as the performers break into traditional songs, expressed in Lingala and Swahili. One sees the duality of a world at once African and colonial, and the effects on the psyche of the people of the urban areas of the DRC. Dancer’s sing and musicians dance, isolated in a small, claustrophobic light that speaks of the reduced space for tradition in a globalised society. Music is deeply linked with memory, and this image is nostalgic and natural in amongst the chaos of preceding moments.

In this exceptional work Linyekula refers to the cultural dynamics of Kinshasa, the urban capital of the DRC, in which the inhabitants are still recovering from the after-effects of war. Burdened with a legacy of poverty, the nightclubs are a form of escapism for the people, a means of breaking free of the realities of their world. more … more … more … future offers a deep sympathy with this plight but also criticizes the lack of initiative in reclaiming the future of the DRC, portraying its inhabitants webbed in an apathetic impasse; caught in a cycle of existing in a difficult paradigm and eternally searching for the next dose of escapism.

Finally past and present political (male) figures appear in a projected cloudscape. They become spectators, allowing themselves to dream of a future in which they are truly powerful. more…more…more… future is a call for the people of DRC, and indeed the rest of Africa, to empower themselves and fight for their futures, expressing eloquently and wittily the nature of a society both European and African, global and local.

DANCING TO OUR DOOM

Kivithra Naicker

Eight men, dressed in blindingly extravagant costumes and wearing intimidating, ominous looks, wait for the audience to settle down.

It feels as if a hard core rock concert is about to go down (on stage). The work begins with the house lights on which catches the still chattering festivalgoers completely off guard

The Brechtian technique of distancing the audience, allowing them to be conscious of what they see, was incredibly effective in guiding them to what followed. Faustin Linyekula's more...more...more...future is a highly confrontational contemporary dance work which explores and reflects a society which becomes so hopeless that they immerse themselves in the empty excessiveness of the “cha cha cha and rumba of independence” (a lyric from one of the songs ) to fill the void of the circumstances they are fated to.

The extraordinarily skilled singers and musicians - Flamme Kapaya, Patou “Tempête” Kayembe, Le Coq, Pasnas and Rémi Bassinta Nigth Ness - enhance the images created by dancers Dinozord, Papy Ebotani and artistic director dancer- choreographer Faustin Linyekula.

An exceedingly symbiotic relationship between the live band and the dancers forms the backbone of this interrogative piece. As the dancers put on exaggerated, layered “tutus,” made out of plastic carrier bags, it became a statement about the absurdity of designer clothes and high fashion being of importance in a place where poverty itself is a brand.

Lyrics sung and vocalised (in French, Lingala and Swahili) by the two astonishing singers Le Coq and Pasnas were translated into English and projected. Antoine Vumilia Muhindo’s substantially political and powerful text is juxtaposed with the movement and the music.

The dancers allow themselves to drown in the progressively loud, dynamic sounds and chant-like singing leading them into a trance- like state. They begin to move automatically, gyrating vigorously to the ascending tempo and pace of the beat. As the lighting shifts from multiple spots and semi darkness, to a distressing constant flashing, a night club environment emerges.

Out of control screaming over the thunderous music suggests terror, intense pain and frustration going unheard- constantly being engulfed by the sickeningly extreme. At one point the musicians and dancers congregate under a single spot light to form a community of traditional men, humming and throwing in phrases which they each respond to. They move in a stylized fashion, reacting to each other and painting a motion picture of bodies entwined in a hopeless pit.

Chaotic struggles, literally going head to head, vast disruption of everything around them – all this movement is meticulously executed and constructed. With his staggeringly intricate, highly visual, socio political dance theatre Linyekula has created a revolutionary mirror for us all to look into (and see ourselves).

DANCING INTO MEMORY

Kirsten Holder

Stepping into the auditorium felt like walking into a concert venue with the band set up and the guitarist making a strange sound that haunted the air.

Performance is usually left to the dancers and the music is separated form the stage, allowing the work to be 'seen', but in more ...more …more …future Faustin Linyekula has other plans. Using the musicians as part of the choreography added another set of layering to this demanding, high energy work.

The three dancers wore plastic coats (made out of carrier bags) which were sewn onto chequered, button-up shirts. The drummer was dressed in a plain shirt and floral pants, while the bass guitarist wore an army trench coat and boots; the lead guitarist Flamme Kapaya had a red, sequinned hooded cape and vocalist Pasnas glittered in a flashy gold suit.

The movement quality was very monotonous as it kept looping or it became more fluid. The desperation to forget becomes obvious. The repetitiveness becomes almost hypnotic and melted away the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium.

The use of darkness effectively articulated the idea of how this subject matter can really take you to a dark place. A very interesting thing happened when the entire company joined each other at the back of the stage under a spot light and performed what looked like a very private ritual. Men dancing and singing (in Lingala and Swahili) together like that truly was incredible to watch.

Thankfully the lyrics to the songs were projected onto the screen, which was important, as they provided meaning and context. The words included the line “your future beyond the statistics, your future beyond the politics”.

Final the dancers and musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo sat at the front of the stage (their backs to the audience) watching a screen on which was projected dreamy landscape. The clouds then flashed the faces of Congolese leaders and dictators.

Which raises the question ...What are we looking up to? A greater power that will only let us down, or do we have something better in mind, a dream of a place we would like to be one day? What future?

JOMBA! Fringe reviews

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:22:00 +0000

The Politics of Relationships

Julia Wilson

A common thread between the first three works of Jomba! Fringe 2011 was that the structure of the works was overly complicated.

The programme opened with Talking the Walk, choreographed by Vusi Makanya, created for the dancers attending his KwaSuka Lokho Saturday class. It begins with three spotlights, one containing a young woman reading from a newspaper aloud quoting the famous 1956 political slogan “When you strike a woman, you strike a rock”.

A noose dangles ominously over her head. In another spotlight, a white woman with flowing blonde hair begins to move, again and again creating the motif of a mother cradling her child. In yet another there is a black woman, alternately repeating this gesture. They are surrounded by fallen comrades, and the suggestion is that many women had to make sacrifices during apartheid so that the next generation would be 'free'.

This piece is a celebration of women who fought for political freedom and does indeed come across as a work of solidarity except for when the dancers are not in time with each other. While the simplicity of the first part of this piece moved the audience greatly, as Talking the Walk progressed, the dancers lost focus.

The movement quality was feminine, highlighting the sway of the hips and arms and containing some interesting floor work. At one point a man enters the stage space, creating the same feminine gesture with his body; there was a sense that his presence alongside the women had not been fully negotiated, and it was unclear what was being said about his own gender.

The Reason, choreographed by Jabulani 'Tamraat' Matiwane, begins beautifully. A man dances in a pool of light, self-flagellating in his movement quality, to the sound of what seems to be an expression of his inner landscape, a strong male voice speaking of deep-seeded insecurity, self-doubt and the fear of being close to madness. Centre stage is a chair upon which hangs a tail coat (a visual reminder of Lliane Loot's Skin) and the performer is at times drawn towards, and at others repelled, by the black coat.

From this point the work becomes unclear- a black out leads the audience to believe that the work is over, as the next section is performed by four women in a style containing a completely different quality to the first moments. The transition is jarring; the links between the two scenarios too obscure. Another blackout is followed by a segment in which the solo male performer becomes more lucid, having found what appears to be loved, from four women no less. The work ironically deals with decision-making, and the decision to put so many elements together, rather than focusing on the initial thrust of the work dilutes it.

A Society of Dangerous Women, choreographed by Stella Dlangalala, was a duet performed by two women, one black (the choreographer), and one white (Monique Hill). The white woman carries a glaring white scarf as she frantically runs across the stage. The scarf becomes a prop to cover, comfort and yet simultaneously stifle her. She is met onstage by a black woman wearing an apron, who comes to her rescue.

While the dancers are technically strong and beautifully in synch, the politics of this piece are problematic, producing stereotypes of white women as delicate flowers unable to stand alone, and of black women as existing to nurture and care, fulfilling domestic responsibilities and 'making a home'. The work may be well-intentioned, but it read as a shallow interpretation of the bonds between women of different races. At no point did the 'white' figure offer support to her counterpart.

Jomba! Fringe is a platform for new choreographers and dancers to find their wings, and it is difficult to be overly critical. However, in contrast to last year's festival, containing powerful works ingrained with personal truths and beautiful observations, the Fringe content was a little less mature and considered.

Freedom is ….

Vedarsha Singh

The works on Jomba!’s ever popular Fringe was remarkably personal and the personal, as we know, is political.

A common theme was the portrayal of untold life stories. Vusi Makanya’s Talking The Walk was a tribute to all women who have embodied strength and courage as they fought for their freedom. The image of Sinothando Sapho reading a newspaper under a spotlight was powerful. A direct address from her added another layer when she used the famous iconic 1956 slogan “if you strike the woman, you strike the rock”. Hues of red lighting together with the quality of movement that had a great deal of abandon attached to it, tied together and uncovered the passion that lives inside every woman.

Jabulani 'Tamraat' Matiwane’s The Reason ... included a verbal soundtrack that evoked a sense of paranoia, indecision and insecurity. It was further emphasized by Mduduzi Mkhize’s body's sharp and angular movements within the confines of a single spotlight. The piece lost its bearings as it had one too many false endings and lacked motivation for the addition of a quartet of girls doing a sequence by themselves.

Stella Dlangalala’s A Society of Dangerous Women had stronger choreographic elements and was more physically focused. It successfully conveyed emotion through the two female dancers and their bodies (Dlangalala and Monique Hill). However the use of a prop and costuming caused this focus to skew. Hill was portrayed as a (white) damsel in distress, unable to support herself. Her losing struggles were symbolized by a white cloth, whilst Dlangalala (appearing in her own work), wore a brown apron and provided the crutch that her partner desperately needed. This read as stereotypical and bordered on being patronizing. It was unfortunate that significant details detracted from what was a highly physical and full-bodied narrative.

I managed to experience Mlondolozi Zondi's multimedia Geography of My Umbilical Chord ((performed by Zondi and Thokozani Sithole) from the wings. My unusual view seemed to shape the reading and understanding of the work differently. The physical quality of the movement was highly athletic and gentle. The emotions evoked stemmed from the tensions that arise from a clashing sense of hope and despair in the search for inner peace. The level of integrity, dedication and sensitivity towards the subject matter was exemplary.

Once again the Jomba! Fringe night provided another valuable platform for the identification of new talent.

Woman's Solo Project Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Thobeka "TeeKay" Quvane in "Skin"

Hélène Cathala (France) in "The Young Woman The River Didn't Keep"

Beautiful ME???

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Kirsten Holder

The dance film WHO IS THIS?... Beneath My Skin – Layer 2, by Desiré Davids, is a sequel to her Jomba! 2010 performance Who Is This Beneath My Skin?

This South African dancer-choreographer seems to have developed an obsession with making work that is about herself; her personal battles. It was disappointing that the performance was a standalone projection which is subtitled Coloured The Chameleon Dance. The spoken text felt too cheesy and the use of last year's footage seemed a bit of a cop out.

Although the screen dance version was disappointing, in comparison to the original performed work, there was a truth that projected itself into my head as I looked through the eye glass of the screen into Davids' soul. The work was honest and for that it deserves a level of respect. However, it was more like a documentary rather than an autobiography.

Twisting Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:43:00 +0000

Julia Wilson
Dada Masilo’s The Bitter End of Rosemary and Helene Cathala’s La jeune fille que la riviere n’a pas gardee (The Young Girl the River Didn’t Keep), are similar in their subject matter and yet vastly different.
Both pieces, part of the Jomba! Women’s Solo Project, portray a representation of the tragic heroine Ophelia; however they are worlds apart in their movement, language, emotional quality and context.
Helene Cathala, touring from France, presents a contemporary Ophelia overwhelmed and yet intrigued by the range of possibilities presented by modern technology. Through the use of infrared sensors, the performer, Nina Santes, creates a layered and complex soundscape that builds to the point that it threatens to drown her, displaying with her body stereotypes of woman as Madonna, whore, child and muse, and deconstructing these images.
Santes explained in the festival’s post-performance discussion that her greatest challenge was to avoid becoming so immersed in the act of using the technology that she lost her quality of movement. The discomfort of standing directly in front of bright hot lights reinforced the idea of dealing with machinery so removed from our corporeality. Video projection is layered over the dancing body so that the result is a shifting landscape so vast that Ophelia is overwhelmed. In calling the piece The Young Girl the River Didn’t Keep, Cathala suggests that Ophelia can rise above the competing technologies, but in performance it seemed that a loss of control was only natural.
In Contrast, Masilo’s portrait of Ophelia was based more wholly on the classical Shakespearean text, depicting the naivety, and gradual descent into madness of the tragic figure. Appearing completely naked onstage, this Ophelia was stripped to her essence - a young girl rejected in her search for love and drowned out by forces beyond her control and understanding. Masilo is an extremely strong performer whose movement quality for the piece was frenetic and jarring; I found that the work lost its power when she began to speak. Masilo is able to articulate so much in movement, and yet there was a kind of self-consciousness that came into play when spoken word was used.
The stage space was claustrophobic and the side-lighting and UV lighting created a liquid play of shifting light and shadow over Masilo’s body. To be naked onstage is to be vulnerable, and yet Masilo appeared in no way weak.

Stripped Down to the Truth

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:37:00 +0000

Kirsten Holder
The concept of using nudity to make a statement is extremely powerful and opens up a rare sense of vulnerability.
Skin, choreographedbyLliane Loots, danced byThobeka Quvane (aka) TeeKay, is an intently powerful and personal work which deals with the idea of skin on many different levels.
The set comprised of three chairs and three suspended light bulbs, a projection screen with images of the Swazi reed dance, stop motion animation of a man’s suit and the slaughter of an animal. These images were very intense and gave the work a chilling quality.
In the post-performance interview, the choreographer responded to a question of why one of the chairs on the set was not used, saying that it was to symbolise how we abandon the history we, as women choose not to engage, and also the fear involved.
TeeKay's display of strength and technical virtuosity gave the work an amazing texture that speaks to the heart of women who torture themselves and strip themselves almost naked in search of their truth. The breast nudity was an effective way to break the audience’s comfort zone as well as providing a cultural context.
Music and video can either make or break a choreographer's work, and in this case videographer Karen Logan and Liam Magner have created richly textured projections and a musical soundscape (including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring), respectively..

Our Art is NOT a Crime!

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:29:00 +0000

Vedarsha Singh
Candy sticks, boerewors, steel drums and b-boys …
Live “legal” graffiti, marimbas, Castle Lager and projection are a few of the elements which amalgamated into one artistic voice that screamed “Halala eThekwini!” at this year’s Jomba! City Street Party, curated by David Gouldie.
With a programme in hand, you were armed and ready to witness how both the artists and the community would perform in this artistic cocoon.
The public space outside of our City Hall played host to a number of installations, performance, visual and graffiti artists as well as a number of dancers, Djs and MCs who performed around the statuary as well on the ‘main stage’.
“Durban we were born to get busy!” boomed Ewok, a well known Durban MC, hip-hop and spoken-word artist. With a microphone or loud hailer, he used the platform as an artistic activist, who had the courage to speak his mind. Bravo Sir, or rather, ‘big ups’!
Cleansing our psyches of our colonialist past was a prominent feature amongst many of the installation works, and this focus was stronger than the actual theme ‘My Body for the Earth’. The other stressed aspect was the fact that no laws were being broken. It was all legal.
Graffiti artists ‘Snatch and ‘Stop/Dain’ as they like to be called explained in more detail the misunderstanding and stigmatism the authorities seem to attach to the art form. They believe it’s now safer to do it legally. We seem to have forgotten the power of tag graffiti, and the many ways it can speak resistance.
Another beautiful touch was children and adults alike expressing themselves on canvases placed on the floor. Pastels, pens, pencils; it really didn’t matter. The artistic unity did.
The B-Boys were situated on a patch of grass covered by what resembled a chess board. Genius, as the art of B-Boy’ing is indeed a tactful battle. Windmills, airflares, flares, floats, turtles and handglides - all performed on an uneven surface? These guys were just showing off, and why not. They seemed to embody everything the evening stood for; the claiming back of a public space, in the name of Art.
Preston Kayzo Kid said “We’re going to tear it up!” They did just that, as they moved towards the Main Stage and blew crowds away with their athletic performance and battles including Jomba! guest artists Stylistik and B-Boy Junior.
The general consensus was that the Main Stage detracted from the ‘Street Party’ aspect of Jomba! City. The theatrical works from Break-Thru Dance Company and Tshwane Dance Theatre seemed out of context and didn’t challenge audiences at all.
Jomba! City’s The Street Party (with the catch line of “our Art is not a crime)” was wrapped up by Crazy White Boy (a Cape Town DJ). It has to be said that artistically, compared to last year, this event was a little too safe. But nevertheless an eventful evening in fun-sun-zi!

Decolonising The Stage

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:34:00 +0000

Kivithra Naicker

"Our art is not worth nothing", stated JOMBA! Artistic Director Lliane Loots in her poetically powerful and profound opening address which set the tone for the evening and the next two weeks.

Entre-Deux (In Between) choreographed by Clarisse Veaux and Abdou N'Gom aka Stylistik, hip-hop dancers and founders of French company Compagnie Stylistik, was the opening performance of the 13th annual JOMBA!Contemporary Dance Experience. This solo performed with extreme fluidity and focus by N'Gom, begins in almost darkness which heightens the aesthetics of the animalistic and ritualistic way in which he moves on the ground.

With his back to the audience, N'Gom articulates movement using his back muscles which are remarkably expressive in terms of the absence of his arms and face. It was a clear depiction of being torn "in between" - a dual inner struggle that he eloquently expresses. Throughout the performance N'Gom is in deep turmoil which becomes highly Fanonesque when he begins to plaster his face with white strips. The striking image speaks a thousand silent words, and maybe more, as he simply applies the plaster to the mould of his own face. This becomes the climax of the piece: his black skin in a white mask.

The next work Buanattitude by break-dancer extraordinaire Junior Bosila Banya (B-Boy Junior also known as Buana) was of a deeply personal nature. Not as aesthetically enticing as the first piece of the night, it is highly confrontational and interactive which gives it an edge. Junior ‘swims’ through the waterless stage throughout the performance, often breaking to connect with the audience who seemed enthralled and appreciative of this honest and emotionally weighted performance.

He appears relentless and charismatic and deliberately warms up the audience with his comic qualities. Moving in and out of music, we see him journey through gunshots of rejection even before he arrives at his ‘hometown’ (in the Congo) questioning the notion of 'home’. With Buanattitude, Junior takes a direct approach by speaking about polio which left him with a problematic leg that he has made not so problematic. Buanattitude sees this magnificent break-dancer showcase his extraordinary skill - but not without purpose.

See pictures here

Buanattitude and Entre-Deux are repeated at Jomba!, at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre tonight, September 1, at 7.30pm. This double-bill moves to Johannesburg’s Arts Alive 2011 festival under the banner of Hip Hop Explodes, at the Joburg Theatre Fringe on Sunday September 4 at 6pm.

Spreading The Love

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Kirsten Holder

The opening performance of the Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience 2011 exploded into action with two striking performances that could potentially be life-changing.

The work by Abdou N'Gom (aka) Stylistik's Entre-Deux (In Between) speaks largely to the crisis of identity in Africa in general, where people are being forced to take sides, in a war against themselves. Watching this performance felt like seeing a man whose blood was boiling inside his body, with nowhere to go but inside. The intriguing juxtaposition of hip-hop, traditional music and jazz, impacted on a very different level as far as use of the technique goes.

Stylistik's use of floor work carried with it an interesting aesthetic that speaks to the idea of how one cannot get up off the ground if they cannot decide who they are or where they belong. What was most striking though was a part in the performance where he is seated at a table, using flow popping, applying a plaster mask to his face.

The imagery of the mask was very powerful and gave the performance a great deal of volume in terms of the reference to the opening floor work which worked very well. The decision to dance with the mask on his face before removing it (with the eyes covered) created an interesting sense of danger or potential injury and fear thereof, which speaks to the idea of the danger of this notion of the 'black face, white mask'.

The lighting design was very fitting and well done, completely adding to the ambiance of the piece, also the use of the mirror to re-direct the light was a clever design touch.

B-Boy Junior Bosila Banya’s Buanattitude allowed the audience to take a look into the life of a man who decided to pursue his passion for dance no matter what; a story we can all relate to on some level. The preconceptions about a man with limited use of his legs were not met, simply because there was nothing wrong with the way he danced. Break-dance requires a great deal of strength and co-ordination, and on both levels Junior's performance superseded any, and all, expectations.

A personal monologue provided an insight into the life of another person with a struggle. We cannot all choreograph dance work to express or deal with the difficulties we face, but we can learn something from Junior in this instance. In his piece Junior says “I dreamt of a world, a world in which I will feel protected from any aggression, a world where I would feel freedom... a free trust to be. I guess I dreamt of an ideal world, that's strange, I still dream,” which is a great way of putting it.

A lovely evening of technical excellence ending in a standing ovation, and a little bit of flavour from the artists themselves in a shared curtain call, giving us a taste of their personalities and a very fine display of love for what they do.

See pictures here

Photos from JOMBA! opening night

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:07:00 +0000

All Photos by Val Adamson

"Buanattitude" by B.Boy Junior

"Entre-Deux" (In Between) - by Abdou N'Gom aka Stylistik

Unmasking Memory

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Vedarsha Singh
“Our Art is not worth nothing; it is a political weapon to remember and recall the bones on which we stand”, were the wise voice of Lliane Loots (Artistic Director of the Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience) as she addressed the opening night audience. The echo of her voice will embody the rest of the 13th edition of this festival.
The two solo works Abdou N'Gom (aka Stylistik’s) Entre- Deux (In Between) and B-Boy Junior’s Buanattitude” had strong auto-biographical elements as they grappled with the preconceptions that exist in and around issues of identity, gender and history.

Both artists have a B-Boy and hip-hop background which they beautifully developed in France. This leads us to believe that they are no strangers to the act of confrontation. The sweat that dripped off the faces and muscular bodies of the performers were indicative of tremendous amounts of courage and determination that carried them through. The performers gathered their past when their bodies spoke, and retold truthfully their respective stories. In so doing they single-handedly transformed the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre into a space rich in history and opened it (and all those inside of it) up to the act of remembering.
Entre-Deux intelligently, and very selectively, shed light upon the tensions that are created when we find ourselves 'In between' either two identities, cultures or phases of our lives. The stage lighting was genius as it faced inward on all sides, enclosing the space. As the lights slowly became brighter and we saw glimpses of Stylistik's athleticism, the feeling was one of claustrophobia.

The movement at the start had a primal texture to it, and it felt as though we were witnessing a beautiful yet hidden caged animal whose mouth was drooling in anticipation for the moment he could earn his stripes. Another symbolic image after he had cleansed himself from the white (self-inflicted) stripes, was one of Abdou N’Gom seated at a table and directly confronting himself by looking into a mirror. What followed were distorted movements, and the application of plaster of paris to his face. Eventually covered and his identity rejected, what ensued was a crazed sequence that had the perfect blend of fluidity and rigidity. He eventually removed his 'white mask', placed it on stage for everyone to witness that this act is possible.

The narrative structure of Buanattitude was established in a lighthearted manner in which Junior addressed the audience. The poignant undercurrent of comedy provided the perfect platform for the contrast of his direct questions around personal identity and self assessment. B-Boy Junior shared with us his story and chose to include significant details such as the fact that he can't fully control his legs. He took us through the stages of his life; from frustration, bitterness and denial to the acknowledging of his roots, and being able to find his own voice through the healing properties of dance. “Dance is the only protection against aggression” he said, as he showed us the manner in which we can use Art as a cure from the mindset that our memory is nothing more than a wasteland.
Stylistik and B-Boy Junior’s solo works highlighted the fact that we need to remember that we are constantly performing our own identity.
Buanattitude and Entre Deux are repeated at Jomba!, in the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre tonight, September 1 at 7.30pm. This double-bill moves to Johannesburg’s Arts Alive 2011 festival under the banner of Hip Hop Explodes, at the Joburg Theatre Fringe, on Sunday September 4 at 6pm.

‘Home? Where is home?'

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:09:00 +0000

Julia Wilson
Abdou N'Gom sits before a mirror in a tiny pool of light. He begins to cover his face with a thick white paste and strips of gauze that look as if it will choke him, and there is both violence and tenderness in the gesture.

Entre Deux (In-Between), choreographed by Clarisse Veaux and Abdou N'Gom (aka Stylistik) and Buanattitude , choreographed and performed by Junior Bosila Banya, both world- renowned B-Boys from France, are intimate glimpses into a complex, hybrid identity that contains both African and European heritage. Both pieces depict the struggle to form a sense of oneself, estranged from one's motherland and simultaneously 'at home' in a new world.
N'Gom cuts a powerful figure onstage. With roots in break-dancing, he is a performer who has a true mastery of his body, to the extent that he appears to defy gravity. If our art, in the words of Lliane Loots (in her festival opening address) is a political weapon against forgetting, then his body is certainly ammunition.

He is able to articulate in movement what can hardly be described verbally. Lighting artists Christophe Mangili and Dorothee Tournour, together with visual artist Claire Rolland, create lighting states that isolate N'Gom and use light and shadow in ways that reinforce the metaphors he creates in movement. He is capable of flight and yet somehow trapped; his African identity is concealed and choked by a European mask. Composer Damien Traversaz provides a layered, hybrid soundscape which combines electronic pulses and classical instruments as well as African rhythms. The result is a textured and introspective solo that speaks to anyone who has felt caught 'in between'.

Junior Bosila Banya's first solo work Buanattitude, with lighting designed by Patrick Clitus and music by Manuel Wandji, compliments Entre-Deux in that it speaks of his own dreams of an imagined Africa; an ideal world in which he may find 'home'. This work is deeply personal, and moves between examples of B-Boy Junior's own form of break-dancing and moments where he addresses the audience candidly about his personal struggle to find a sense of himself as a break-dancer who didn't break like anyone else, and an African existing within a Western paradigm. When he dances, he seems superhuman, able to move in ways that seem impossible. Like N'Gom, Banya communicates through movement, and in movement he embraces his Congolese heritage. It struck me that while he was able to speak volumes when he danced, his decision to address the audience in English made it difficult for him to truly express himself.
Hip-hop is political from its foundations and these two works are a testament to the way in which contemporary dance is constantly shifting to encompass an ever widening range of experience.

See pictures here

Buanattitude and Entre Deux are repeated at Jomba!, at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre tonight, September 1 at 7.30pm. This double-bill moves to Johannesburg’s Arts Alive 2011 festival under the banner of Hip Hop Explodes, at the Joburg Theatre Fringe on Sunday September 4 at 6pm.

Remembrances of Savaged Bones We Dance On

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG EDITOR) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:22:00 +0000

JOMBA! 31 August 2011

Opening Night Speech of the 13th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience by founding artistic director Lliane Loots.

I want to take this opportunity tonight to invoke some of the words and thinking of an African philosopher who has been intimately involved in shaping my own personal and on-going consciousness around being an African and a South African; about being an artist, choreographer and at all times an advocate for Earth justice.

At a time in our political and social history where so much is being forgotten and where memory is an imagined globalised concept of wanting things being sold to us in the guise of freedom, I feel it is time for all of us to begin to recall the bones on which we stand.

As early as 1981 an African theatre writer and activist, Kenya’s Ngûgî Wa Thiong’o wrote about what he called the biggest ‘cultural weapon’ wielded and daily unleashed by imperialism against an artistic collective defiance. This cultural weapon of the imperialist – for want of a better explanation, those who seek to rule by creating dependency - is what he called the “cultural bomb”.

The after effect of this Imperialist “cultural bomb” is to annihilate a people’s belief in their names, in their language, in their environment, in their heritage of struggle, in their unity, in their capacities, and ultimately in themselves. This cultural bomb, once exploded, makes us see our past as a wasteland of non-achievement and it makes us want to distance ourselves from this history of what seems like nothing – it makes us want to identify with that which is furthest removed from ourselves. So we begin to invest in other people’s languages, other people’s dances, art and film making. What Ngûgî called the “decadent and the reactionary”.

This new imperialism (Ngûgî refers to as the “neo-colonial bourgeoisie of independent Africa”) sells us the idea of ourselves as a wasteland and begins to celebrating what Ngûgî calls “the holiness of theft”.

This “cultural bomb” is not a bomb that goes off so loudly that we all hear and react to it. It does not fall from the sky from a foreign plane; it is more a quiet, silent amorphous bomb that goes off in fits and starts from within until, one day we wake up and find that all our artists have been censored, our dancers are dying in abject poverty and the stories we choose to tell as Africans, are no longer about real memory and history but about the bludgeoned dreams that global capital sell us. We dream of owning and having and no longer do we seek the discipline of being and doing.

Our art simply disappears into commericalised ‘for entertainment purposed only’ as we continue to ape American sit-coms as if they are the key to our imagined future, and we no longer remember that art and culture are our weapons against forgetting.

The greatest theft is the theft of memory; of annihilating a belief in the value of our histories – multiple and difficult as they are – of seeking to endlessly explode what it is our bones and blood know, to sell us the lie of dependency … of creating a need for the false truths being written to support political control.

We sit here tonight while seven young Durban artists face possible jail time and criminal records for graffiti art on a municipal wall, a wall they believed they had permission to paint. The city calls them vandals. We have forgotten the power of tag graffiti during our liberation struggle where slogans and anti-apartheid messages appeared all over our city as a way of speaking resistance. Who can forget the Berea Road tag that read “Apartheid is a class war”? We forget on whose bones we stand as we continue to create shallow graves.

Durban has recently lost two dancers, Hugo le Roux and Eric Shabalala, both of whom died in poverty. We have failed them, and theirs too are shallow graves.

Most significantly too, most of us here participate in the digging of cultural graves. We endlessly expect, ask and accept free tickets to dance, art, theatre, music and films never once imagining that these free tickets are never really free. So while we dine out and feel remorse that one more dance company is shutting down, one more theatre company cannot survive, one more arts education programme cannot run, I remind you that every time you accept free theatre tickets and choose not to pay, you too are participating in cultural death.

OUR ART IS NOT WORTH NOTHING! Ours is a legacy of resistance, struggle and critical engagement. The biggest support any one of us sitting here can offer to the survival of the arts in Africa, is to begin paying for our theatre tickets. This is one way we can guard against forgetting and allowing the arts to flourish in the storytelling and the remembering on whose bones we stand.

But mostly, I speak this all as a way of hoping to bring us all back to the belief in lucid memory, of celebrating dance and choreography that reminds all of us that our art, is first and foremost, this political weapon against forgetting.

And so it is with deep pleasure that I welcome you, on behalf of UKZN’s Centre for Creative Arts, here tonight to the opening of our 13th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience. For me this is a deeply holy space where we allow critical art to flourish and be supported, where we revel – especially this year – in the act of memory and the intricate and deep connections that our dance art form allows us. This year’s festival is one that fights against the after effects of what Ngûgî refers to as the “cultural bomb”.

There is the remembering in the dance theatre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Faustin Linyekula who explodes onto an anarchical stage begging for an African future that is more than the shrunken vision of American soap opera. Nigeria’s Adedayo Liadi tackles a future Earth seen in the wake of rape and environmental devastation. These are remembrances of savaged bones that we stand on.

The JOMBA! Women’s Solo Project offers us four proud and defiant images of female identity that ask us to name and shame some of the seemingly heroic bones on which we stand. We welcome Hélène Cathala from France, Durban’s Desire Davids, and Dada Masilo from Johannesburg.

Gregory Maqoma is a fitting end to our festival on the 10th and 11th September as his critically acclaimed solo work performed with live musicians, is a cumulative work that has him feeding off the remembering of legacies of heroic choreographers like Akram Khan, Faustin Linyekula and Vincent Mantsoe.

It has been my joy to once again be afforded the privilege of working with my Nigerian family and to have been reminded that, sometimes along the way, we get to meet our real family – it is my honour and privilege to welcome both Adedayo Liadi and Frank Konwea tonight. Ours has been a six year working relationship that has often found it very difficult to traverse South and West Africa and we all remain deeply indebted to the CCA for making this 2011 FLATFOOT and IJODEE DANCE COMPANY family reunion possible.

And tonight you will see on stage two of the world’s most celebrated Breakdancers; Stylistik and BBoy Junior. Standing on the bones of the hip-hop movement began in New York by a man called Afrika Bambaataa, these two French dancers not only take time to remember their own roots in Africa, but are part of a genre shift that takes a battle dance like breakdance and re-invents it on a theatre stage. We welcome both of them home to soil that we know their dancing feet will remember.

Our Friday night JOMBA! CITY platform allows us to take dance back to the street and so we thank the Muncipality of Ethekwini for realising the cultural worth of imagining our beautiful city for arts and culture. Our thanks to David Gouldie for his inspired direction of the event that has seen him gather together the most amazing group of artists and dancers.

I end by paying my respects to all who have made this festival possible; who have served their community by being the eyes, ears, hands and technical feet of what we do:

Peter Rorvik for his careful and humble leadership of the Centre for Creative Arts

The quite whirlwind presence of Maggie Reddy and the all the extra-ordinary staff of the Centre for Creative Arts whose love for what they do, shines through onto all of us.

The JOMBA! technical crew for being around to hold our dance work so carefully,

The Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre,

To Val Adamson for being able to so evocatively capture on film the ephemerality of what we do.

To Sharelene Versfeld for being a dream publicist

I also want to pay homage to Adrienne Sichel, journalist and the collective memory of our national dancing community; it is she who constantly reminds us of the bones on which all of us stand! She joins our JOMBA! team in running the dance writing residency and will conduct our ‘talking dance’ sessions.

Finally a huge but gracious thanks to our funders whose belief in what we do has allowed for so much:

Our principle funder the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund
The French Institute of South Africa
City of Durban and Ethekwini Muncipality
HIVOS
And The Goethe Institute

But mostly I end by welcoming you all tonight into this place of history and memory called the theatre where we, as audience and artist actively fight the after effects of the cultural bomb; where we seek to remember on whose bones we stand and dance - the essence of what I hope JOMBA! is, and will continue to fight to remain.

THANK YOU!

Lliane Loots (founding Artistic Director of the Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience)

photo by Val Adamson

JOMBA! 2011 PROGRAMME DAILY SCHEDULE

noreply@blogger.com (M Rorvik) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 07:44:00 +0000

JOMBA! 2011 PROGRAMME DAILY SCHEDULE

Download Programme PDF / View free workshop schedule / Ticketing Info

Full programme on Blog:

Wednesday 31 August - 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

Welcome: Lliane Loots

“Entre-Deux” (In Between)

choreographed and danced by Abdou N’Gom aka Sylistik [France]

Interval

“Buanattitude”

choreographed and danced by Junior (Wanted Posse) [France]

Thursday 1 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“Entre-Deux” (In Between)
choreographed and danced by Abdou N’Gom aka Sylistik [France]

Interval

“Buanattitude”
choreographed and danced by Junior (Wanted Posse) [France]

• JOMBA! Talks Dance: post show discussion with choreographers/dancers hosted by Adrienne Sichel

Friday 2 September – 19h00 (outside city hall – Durban inner city cultural Precinct)

JOMBA! City

Saturday 3 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre) “WOMEN’S SOLO PROJECT”

Due to the explicit nature of some of the works this programme carries an over 16 age restriction

“La jeune fi lle que la rivière n’a pas gardée”
(The Young Woman The River Didn’t Keep) – choreography by Hélène Cathala [France]

“Skin”
choreography by Lliane Loots [South Africa]

Interval

“WHO IS THIS?...Beneath My Skin – Layer 2”
choreography by Desiré Davids [South Africa]

“The Bitter End of Rosemary”
choreography by Dada Masilo [South Africa]

• JOMBA! Talks Dance: post-show discussion with choreographers hosted by Adrienne Sichel

Sunday 4 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre) “WOMEN’S SOLO PROJECT”

Due to the explicit nature of some of the works this programme carries an over 16 age restriction

“La jeune fi lle que la rivière n’a pas gardée”
(The Young Woman The River Didn’t Keep) – choreography by Hélène Cathala [France]

“Skin”
choreography by Lliane Loots [South Africa]

Interval

“WHO IS THIS?...Beneath My Skin – Layer 2”
choreography by Desiré Davids [South Africa]

“The Bitter End of Rosemary”
choreography by Dada Masilo [South Africa]

Monday 5 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

JOMBA! FRINGE

Tuesday 6 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“more ...more …more …future”
choreography by Faustin Linyekula [Democratic Republic of Congo]

Wednesday 7 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“more ...more …more …future”
choreography by Faustin Linyekula [Democratic Republic of Congo]

• JOMBA! Talks Dance: post-show discussion with choreographer hosted by Adrienne Sichel

Thursday 8 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“Similar Pathways”
choreography by S’fi so Magesh Ngcobo (JOMBA! New Works Grant)

“Devolva”
choreography by Mlu Zondi (JOMBA! New Works Grant)

Interval

“Aye Asan” (vanity)
choreography by Adedayo Liadi [Nigeria] featuring FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY [South Africa]

Friday 9 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“Similar Pathways”
choreography by S’fi so Magesh Ngcobo (JOMBA! New Works Grant)

“Devolva”
choreography by Mlu Zondi (JOMBA! New Works Grant)

Interval

“Aye Asan” (vanity)
choreography by Adedayo Liadi [Nigeria] featuring FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY [South Africa]

• JOMBA! Talks Dance: post-show discussion with choreographers hosted by Adrienne Sichel

Saturday 10 September – 14h00
(Dorothy Nyembe Hall – Cato Manor/Umkhumbane)

JOMBA! YOUTH FRINGE

Saturday 10 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

“Beautiful Me”
choreography by Gregory Maqoma [South Africa] with artistic contributions from Akram Khan [India/United Kingdom], Faustin Linyekula [DRC] and Vincent Mantsoe [South Africa]

• JOMBA! Talks Dance: post show discussion with choreographer hosted by Adrienne Sichel

Sunday 11 September – 19h30
(Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre)

• Presentation of the Eric Shabalala Dance Chanpion Award
“Beautiful Me”
choreography by Gregory Maqoma [South Africa] with artistic contributions from Akram Khan [India/United Kingdom], Faustin Linyekula [DRC] and Vincent Mantsoe [South Africa]

JOMBA! City lights Up the Night Friday 2 Sept - An Art Street Party of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (M Rorvik) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 06:46:00 +0000

Press release: 29 August

JOMBA! City lights Up the Night

JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience presents what promises to be Durban’s art street party of the year this Friday at 7pm.

Delving head first into a site-specific encounter with the city centre, JOMBA! City is an amalgamation of dance, music, art, installations, lights, sound, film, and one or two VERY happening DJ’s.

Supported by the City of Durban as one of the Celebrate Durban events, JOMBA! City offers a safe and spectacular evening in the Durban city centre amidst statues of Queen Victoria and road plaques that honour struggle heroes amongst the pomp and ceremony of the City Hall backdrop and the everyday reality of the pedestrian crossings. All these form the backdrop to a night out that will get you face to face with the beautiful mix that is the Durban art and contemporary dance scene, all carefully curated by David Gouldie.

As you wander through the closed off cultural precinct in front of the City Hall, you will meet Linda Vargas and her flamenco dancers, surrounded by a marimba band backing up a group of Durban’s finest breakdancers. Buy delicious food items from the I Heart Market vendors, a beer from the bar and walk through art installations by the likes of Peter McKenzie, Karen Logan and Neil Coppen. Find Doung Anwaar-Jahangeer’s “Ma Dlamini” who looks a lot like Queen Victoria … and finally on the main stage, performances by Dusi Dance Company and Johannesburg’s celebrated Tshwane Dance Company.

A highlight of the evening is France’s two premier B-Boyz, Junior and Stylistik, dancing alongside Durban’s Life Check crews. This is sure to be a street dance encounter that reminds us of the talking souls that dance across nation and nationality.

The night ends with a rousing party that includes Crazy White Boy, DJ Switch and DJ Veranda Panda. Durban’s inimitable Iain Ewok Robinson is the MC for the event and watch out for some of Durban’s finest rap artists.

Tickets are R50 and available on the night at the two entrance gates (one in Anton Lembede Street opposite the Royal Hotel and the second in Dr Pixley Kaseme Road).

See www.cca.ukzn.ac.za for more details.

The 13th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is organized by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and supported by National Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), HIVOS, City of Durban, French Institute of South Africa, Goethe Institut of South Africa.

Media Enquiries:
Sharlene Versfeld
Versfeld & Associates: The Communication Works
031 811 5628
083 326 3235
sharlene@versfeld.co.za
Twitter: sharlvers
Skype: sharlene.versfeld

Related Event:

Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience
Dates: Wednesday, 31st August 2011 - Sunday, 11th September 2011

EXCITING DANCE PROGRAMME AT JOMBA! 2011

noreply@blogger.com (M Rorvik) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 08:24:00 +0000

EXCITING DANCE PROGRAMME AT JOMBA! 2011

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts and its celebrated annual contemporary dance platform, JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, invites dance-lovers to explore this year’s 11 day festival which opens on 31 August and runs until 11 September. JOMBA! now in its 13^th year, and supported by the National Lottery Distribution Fund, has dance offerings which encompass the very best of local and international dancers and dance companies. (full programme on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za)

Specifically aimed at nurturing local dance, the JOMBA! New Works programme this year features two innovative artists, Mlu Zondi and S’fiso Magesh Ngcobo, whose growing body of dance theatre work has critics and audiences sitting up and taking notice. New Works grants are offered as a way of encouraging choreographers to continue to develop and find their unique dance and choreographic voices. Ngcobo’s “Similar Pathways” explores the real meaning of ubuntu on life’s journey, while Zondi’s incorporates video artwork into a reflection of a dancer’s psyche and memory in “Devolva”.

From Johannesburg, Gregory Maqoma brings his deeply celebrated “Beautiful Me”; a dance work that has travelled the globe to critical acclaim. Maqoma, one of South Africa’s most internationally recognised choreographers, has worked with creative in-put from Akram Khan, Faustin Linyekula and Vincent Mantsoe in a dance and choreographic dialogue that has resulted in this fiercely beautiful solo work.

A first for JOMBA! this year, is the adventurous “Women’s Solo Project” which has gathered together solo works by four prominent local and international women choreographers. From France, Hélène Cathala joins JOMBA! with a work that celebrates the search for new dance languages; Durban’s Desiré Davids has made a short dance film which is the second part of the work she premiered at JOMBA! in 2010; Lliane Loots has created a politically charged work on Flatfoot dancer TeeKay Quvane; and Gauteng-based Dada Masilo makes her JOMBA! debut with her controversial and celebrated solo, “The Bitter End of Rosemary”. Masilo, a virtuoso dancer known for the risk she takes, sets herself up with this work as one of South Africa’s most innovative young choreographers.

The facilitation of dance collaborations within Africa is a key JOMBA! objective, and this year sees Durban’s much-loved Flatfoot Dance Company collaborating with Nigeria’s Ijodee Dance Company. Lagos based choreographer Adedayo Liadi will feature Ijodee’s Frank Konwea alongside the five resident dancers of Flatfoot in a new work with the Yoruba title, "Aye Asan", meaning ‘vanity’.

African dance maker Faustin Linyekula, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, presents his work “more … more … more … future”, which takes a critical look at post-independence in Africa and embraces the anarchy and chaos of making art in a time of struggle and trauma. Working with a live band on stage Faustin’s work looks to the nightclubs of Kinshasa as a way of making meaning in a society of greed and corruption.
JOMBA! is delighted to host two of the world most prestigious BBoyz – Junior and Stylistik, from France. These two world champion break-dancers have turned the contemporary dance world on its head by shifting what is often seen as an improvisation and ‘battle’ dance form, to the theatre stage. Carefully constructed solo works by these cutting-edge dancers whose bodies ooze strength, power and control, break new ground in the interface between theatre and streetdance.

JOMBA! takes place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (University of KwaZulu-Natal) except for one of the major highlights of this year’s festival, JOMBA! City – a site-specific dance and art-making encounter with the inner city of Durban. Curated by David Gouldie this is sure to be the street party event of the year. The event features over 100 artists, including Doung Anwar-Jahangeer, Ewok, Sifiso Khumalo and Vusi Makanya, amongst others, as well as leading DJ’s and bands – the statues of Queen Victoria will never be the same!

JOMBA! also presents the popular Fringe night which provides open platforms for new dance-makers. In addition, the Youth Fringe, which takes place at the Dorothy Nyembe Hall, in Cato Crest, is a valuable platform for young dancers and the identification of new emerging talent.
For full programme details visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za Look out for a series of free dance workshops with dancers and choreographers participating in the festival. Advance booking is essential. To book contact 031-2602506.

Keep an eye also for two special editions of the JOMBA! Khuluma mini-newspaper - this is a residency project in which veteran journalist Adrienne Sichel will mentor talented young writers in the intracacies of interpreting and writing about performance. Follow the JOMBA! Khuluma blog on http://jombakhuluma.blogspot.com

Sichel will also facilitate the JOMBA! Talks Dance sessions, where dancers and choreographers speak about their work, and debate is raised around dance in South Africa.

The closing night of JOMBA! on 11 September will include the Eric Shabalala Dance Champion Award for selfless service, social upliftment and innovative practice in the field of dance. Eric, who passed away recently, was a founder member of Siwela Sonke and director of Shiwebeka Dance.

The 13^th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is organized by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and supported by National Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), HIVOS, City of Durban, French Institute of South Africa, Goethe Institut of South Africa.

Special Screening of Wim Wenders film PINA

noreply@blogger.com (M Rorvik) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:26:00 +0000

Special Screening of Wim Wenders film PINA

An exciting prelude to the 13^th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) with principal funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, is the one-off screening of the feature-length dance film PINA. Directed by legendary German filmmaker Wim Wenders, PINA is a tribute to late choreographer-dancer, Pina Bausch, and has drawn exceptional attendances in Europe.

Wenders takes the audience on a sensual, visually dazzling journey of thrilling dance. Following the dancers of the renowned Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch ensemble out of the theatre into the city and surrounding areas of Wuppertal – the place which was home and centre for Pina Bausch’s creativity - Wenders captures the essence and magic that is encapsulated in Bausch’s art. A keen cinema experimentalist, Wenders has made this film in 3D, saying “3D is a perfect medium to portray the multi-dimensional movement of dance”.

Described as ‘a thrilling piece of cinema’ (The Times) and simply ‘magnificent’ (The Independent), PINA is a must-see. The screening takes place at 8pm on 30^th August at Suncoast Cinema and is supported by the Goethe Institut of South Africa.

The JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience kicks off at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on 31^st and runs until 11^th September – see ww.cca.ukzn.ac.za for details of a very diverse and dynamic line-up. The programme includes the JOMBA! City spectacular street-party event, featuring dancers, artists, musicians and DJs outside the City Hall on Friday 2^nd September.

The 13th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is organized by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and supported by National Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), HIVOS, City of Durban, French Institute of South Africa, Goethe Institut of South Africa.

Media Enquiries:

Sharlene Versfeld

Tel: 031-8115628

Cell: 0833263235

sharlene@versfeld.co.za

13TH JOMBA! CONTEMPORARY DANCE EXPERIENCE 2011

noreply@blogger.com (M Rorvik) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:58:00 +0000

JOMBA! DANCE EXPERIENCE booklet - as JPG images -- pdf available on
www.cca.ukzn.ac.za

TAKING CHANCES/MAKING CHOICES

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 14:40:00 +0000

TAKING CHANCES/MAKING CHOICES

Mandisa Haarhoff

The 2010 JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience has been a festival of collaborations. Foofwa d’ Imobilite’s The Making of Spectacles was a different and exciting collaboration with the audience in the selective creation of the dance-piece, influenced by Merce Cunningham’s ‘chance’ theory, using a democratic voting system rather than flipping a coin.

What appealed to me is the way in which Foofwa and his dancers Ruth Childs, Anja Schmidt and Filibert Tologo played with the concept of choices. The audience arrives expecting to watch a full-length work with dancers trained in ballet and a choreographer with a rich history of dance. A presentation of choices is made to them and majority vote, as in any democracy, is the decider. Having made their choice, which was presented to them, the audience watches their selected work with a variety of dissatisfactions which are always the case when choice is available.

Upon stopping the performance halfway, Foofwa asks the audience what they are unhappy with and here the audience is given choice to voice out their dissatisfaction. They only change the musical score and nothing else and in the discussion after the show have far more to say about what displeased them, which they were given opportunity to change during the halftime yet did not. This reflects the way in which audiences are passively critical of any choreographed work and when given the chance to change things around and be active co-creators they rarely exploit the opportunity.

This work also plays on the notion of people as co-creators of their democratic political reality, whether they like the outcome or not, and interrogates the political, social and commercial choices that fashion and influence dance and our realities. Once voted in, the government always does what it chooses to do on your behalf and thus you, as part of the majority or the minority, that did not vote for that current government, are never satisfied as what you asked for and expected is not what you see manifested, at least not all of it or as you wanted it. In the same way, though the audience becomes co-creator of the work, the choreographer and performers on the stage own the space and the work and do as they see fit, adding our choices rather than stick to just them. They perform and cover the work we did not choose, commenting on censorship which is all too prevalent in our South African media context with the media bill debate underway and the disbanding of the Scorpions.

The framing of a dance work involves many factors. Foofwa highlights these factors in the beginning when he thanks the sponsors Prohelvetia, JOMBA! And the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre platform for further funding and a place to perform the work, the audience as witness of the work and the dancers as performers of the work. Without all the above mentioned factors there would be no work thus the work is already framed before the choice of dance, costume, music and theme are made. He further comments on the way in which popular media, globalisation and commodification affect the creation process and presentation of dance-work. Though this work gives the audience choices of what there is to see, and they select a combination of what they wish to see, none is fully satisfied at the end of the work and therefore the aim is not to please the audience but to interrogate the concepts and themes of the work in order to challenge the audience and the ownership licence of dance itself.

Beautiful, bravely risky, yet classically choreographic and strongly political that’s The Making of Spectacles.

Dramatic Finish

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:55:00 +0000

Dramatic Finish

Sli Hlengwa

The grand finale of JOMBA! 2010 called for something extraordinary.

That duty fell on the capable shoulders of young Reunion Island choreographer Norton Saidou (Kenji)

With Norton Antivilo in collaboration with three South African dancers in A Contra Sud.

Also in the mix the gifted Dutch-based choreographer Daniel Renner (Holland) in collaboration with Rodney Kasandikromo, Durban’s FlatFoot Dance Company and two B-Boyz created Soulscape during a three week residency.

Break dance has come a long way in terms of finally getting its proper due here in South Africa. Both pieces fused this street form into the choreography to bring Durban audiences a dramatic finish to JOMBA! 2010.

A Contra Sud is a quirky mix of pantsula, gumboot, and break dance, contemporary and, to my great delight, even a splish splash of capoeira, producing a melting pot of visual artistry. A moment that stayed with me is the solo performed by Gabriel Masango (from KwaMashu’s Dusi Dance Company) in which he is chastised and shunned by his brother for turning away from his roots after which he begins to dance. The other dancers hold white frames while he struggles with the image of himself. Crying out in the end in Zulu as they neck laced him with these frames, he shouts out in anguish how everybody makes mistakes and he begs for forgiveness. Having known Gabriel for some time, and knowing of his Brazilian and South African roots this solo spoke of other layers of personal identity which was a recurring theme in this year’s festival.

Renner’s Soulscape is an audio-visual masterpiece of street finesse. Different types of energy charged the whole auditorium. It was not simply a case of a B-Boy does a move then a FlatFooter leaps across stage. No, no! There was no separation of which dancer comes from which background, each could hold their own and did. It was a true testament to the technique that Renner has created called “roundcorner”.

ENTERING A FOREIGN LAND

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 05:52:00 +0000

ENTERING A FOREIGN LAND

Lisa Sterne

The transposition of a dance work from the rehearsal space to the stage is always interesting and often a magical process.

I was able to observe this work (which is collaboration between international guests Daniel Renner and Rodney Kasandikromo; Flatfoot Dance Company and B-Boyz Preston “Kayzo” Kyd and Craig “Miz” Katts) in process.

In rehearsal, one does not see the green lights or the down lights on the stones- which bring such a different element to the dance. Choreographer Daniel Renner’s instructions “Observe, watch and react” rang in my ears when my eyes darted around as soon as there was any lack of unison between the dancers.

The skill to watch and move with another dancer while you are moving is an important skill to master for a dancer ( and expected in a professional dancer) appeared to be lacking in the first half of the piece. This could be due to the tricky timing of the music; the change in choreography so near to the performance date and the fact that the dancers dance in front of mirrors in the studio, which act as an extra set of eyes for the dancer, but is extremely dangerous when the mirror is taken away.

When watching the final product I felt like I was in an extra terrestrial horror movie. This was due to the green lighting, the high pitched electronic repetitive music, peculiarly spastic, yet extraordinary movements and the stones that reminded me of crop circles. As soon as the curtains opened, the music started and I saw dancers rapidly moving their feet sideways, while their bodies floated across the stage. I felt like I was entering a foreign land. A land is where hip-hop and contemporary meet and create a spaghetti-like, angular, yet strong style of dance.

De-sacralising’ Spectacle

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:41:00 +0000

De-sacralising’ Spectacle

Samantha Daly

Burkinabé Filibert Tologo
in “The Making of Spectacles”
by Swiss choreographer Foofwa d'Imobilité
Picture by Cedric Vincensini

Last evening JOMBA! hosted Swiss choreographer, Foofwa d’Imobilité with his The Making of Spectacles (2008) . It directly involves the audience in the creation of the performance, which, Foofwa explains, serves as a way “to look at the psychology of spectator expectations, aesthetic desires, and participation in the making of a work of art... [And] ‘De-sacralising’ the grandeur of the spectacle”.

In this way then, the piece aims to deconstruct the notion of the ‘spectacle’ by involving the audience in the creation thereof.

The work, described by the choreographer as “the social collaboration needed to start changing the world”, begins very informally, with Foofwa greeting the audience directly, and chatting to them as though he were an old, familiar friend.

We then get introduced (equally as informally) to each of the performers, and the technical crew too. One can’t help but be struck by the performance’s strong Brechtian element. Not only do the performers speak directly to the audience, but they do so dressed in rehearsal attire (tracksuit pants and vests), while warming up in front of the audience. The lighting and technical equipment is also placed on stage, in full view of the audience. These, I believe, are conscious choices which support Foofwa d’Imobilité’s attempt to deconstruct and ‘de-sacralise’ the notion of spectacle.

The Making of Spectacles, is an unorthodox mix of dance and choreography, mime, theatrical action (mostly melodramatic and comic) and social commentary. The premise of the piece is the inclusion of the audience in choosing, through voting democratically, their preferred option for the various performance elements, including the choreography and theme thereof; theatrical action, costume and music.

Mid-way through the performance, the performance is ‘paused’, and the audience is asked for their assessment, making alterations if necessary. This was the case last night, as some audience members felt the original choice of music was unsuitable, and opted for a different style. While it is difficult to say whether this was for better or worse, it did give the piece a significantly different tone, which allowed the performers to explore the performance and their choreography in a different way.

The options for theme of the choreography presented to the audience included ‘The Fabrication of Visions’ (dedicated to the unseen), ‘The Fabrication of Artifices’ (dedicated to society) and ‘The Fabrication of Desires’ (dedicated to the global economy). The audience chose the latter, while the “White Sugar Collection” trumped “The Plastic Fantastic” and “Aircastle Collection” for preferred costume choice. The audience voted for ‘the previous show’s lights’ (Moving into Dance Mophatong’s Threads) for the lighting design, and “the T.V. on the balcony’” emerged as the winner for music choice (which was later changed to “spring”). The title for the show then, based on the audiences’ choices became “Previous Desires of the Balcony in Sugar’.

While I have to commend the choreographer and the dancers on their noble attempt to deconstruct the notion of the spectacle, and their brilliant improvisational skills on stage, I have to admit I found the work somewhat tedious and monotonous at times. While I thoroughly enjoyed the audience participation and unorthodox manner of performance, I feel somewhere along the line, the piece fails to captivate the audience entirely, making them bored, restless and frustrated. Not to detract from the brave and exceptional display of talent, charisma and technique of each performer, I feel if the piece was shorter, less fragmented and abstract, it would make for easier viewing.

Democratic Dance Spectacle

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Democratic Dance Spectacle

Chris Tobo

Last night I entered the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre to see “The Making of Spectacles”, by Swiss choreographer Foofwa d'Imobilité.

I was mildly surprised to find the performers (including fellow Swiss Anja Schmidt, British dancer Ruth Childs and Burkinabé Filibert Tologo) on the stage, not even in costume yet, nonchalantly making preparations for this eccentric showcase. Foofwa, a ballet-trained dancer and choreographer who has danced professionally with the Stuttgart Ballet, in Germany, and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, in New-York, attempts to create an environment of fun experimentation and collaboration.

The stage looks a royal mess: half the cyclorama (which serves as a projection surface) is exposed under a fallen black curtain and the lighting stands on one side of the stage are in full view. Furthermore, when the show begins (with an entertaining introduction from the choreographer) the house lights are left on. Half the fun of theatre is sharing this show or that with dozens of other people, all looking the same way in the dark. Theatre is communal, right? It's about disappearing in a crowd, while the talented folks get on with it on stage? Not so with this show.

“The Making of Spectacles” is a dance theatre piece that takes the concept of the democratic process to its illogical conclusion: the audience is invited to participate by democratically choosing dance phrases, dramatic scenarios, music, lighting design, and costuming to create their own theatre experience. The process itself is a fun, informal interactive theatre with a relaxed feel.

The resulting show becomes a piece of radical theatre that defies audience expectations and critiques the notion of artistic choice. As clever as the concept is, however, the show itself that the group finally performs is not entirely watchable. Most of the time the dancers perform on a poorly lit stage (the audience choice of lighting was the previous performance’s lighting) in their lime green Lycra making indecipherable noises to a migraine inducing soundtrack. Several of the audience members sigh in relief at the end, grateful for the ordeal to be over.

Though the work is not entirely enjoyable, I believe it delivers important observations about the relationship between art and the public through the insightful deconstruction of theatrical conventions.

Making more than just a spectacle

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:16:00 +0000

Making more than just a spectacle

Yeshica Naidoo

Foofwa d’Imobilité, born Frédéric Gafner, took the conventions of dance theatre and the notion of the fourth wall and smashed them to smithereens last night in his “The Making of Spectacles”.

Foofwa and fellow dancers Ruth Childs, Anja Schmidt and Filibert Tologo asks the audience to construct the dance by voting in a public, democratic process.

As they introduce the entire cast, from dancers to lighting and media technicians, they speak of a work of collaborations between themselves, the “producers of imagination” and us, the “decider of the work”. The audience goes through quite a long process of selecting each option of dance phrase, theatrical action, theme, music, lighting and costume before taking a vote.

As they huddle together on stage and whisper and construct the structure of the dance, there is no effort to hide the ‘putting together’ of the work. On the contrary, the raw, unrehearsed and unedited nature of the piece is deliberate. Admittedly, while I found the method to be very different (and very entertaining), I may have become too accustomed to there being a brief synopsis or insight into the work .It seemed abstract and very disconnected. It was only after the first half when Foofwa stopped the action and had a mini discussion with the audience that the penny really dropped and allowed me to make the connection between the piece and its commentary on South African politics and government.

From this point on I was able to make the links: One had to be wearing the spectacles to address the public as this would make them the spectacle/event/someone of importance and thus validate them enough to be given this privilege. When the audience chose “TV on the Balcony” as its soundtrack and wasn’t happy with their choice, Foofwa was reluctant to change the track saying “but you voted and made that choice, if we change it, it would lose the point of voting”, demonstrating the way society is never happy with the road it chooses.

The way the dancers hold each other’s mouths and smile, as if masking or hiding the other’s actions and words; or the creating of a ‘wall’ in front of someone else’s movement with a smile is about deceiving the public into believing that all is well. This is a clever play on the role that government and its politicians have assumed.

Never before had I found a political comment to be spoken so loudly yet so subtly at the same time … Brilliant!

DEMOCRACY CAN BE TRICKY

noreply@blogger.com (JOMBA! KHULUMA) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 10:50:00 +0000

DEMOCRACY CAN BE TRICKY

Sli Hlengwa

The JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience really switched gears last night as it was turned on its head last by Foofwa d’ Imobilite’.

The audience was asked by this Swiss choreographer to choose a dance phrase, a theatrical action, music, lighting and costume presented by each of the members of the dance company, setting in motion the direction and theme in which the performance was to take shape . The result was titled “Previous Desires Of The Balcony In Sugar” created during “the Making of Specatcles”.

It’s not everyday that in mid performance the dancers stop and ask the audience how they feel about the direction in which the choreography and theme is shaping. But lo and behold it happened last night to answer my prayers because I could not handle “The TV on the Balcony” music . It was hideous and is a true testament to why democracy and majority vote is not always the best idea. An orchestral number called “Spring” then changed the whole ambiance of the performance and made it audibly more bearable..

The dancer/actors made no attempt to re-create the “mystique ” of the theatre. In plain view were their props, chairs, cables, costume and clothing racks. And as the audience made their way into the auditorium the dancers were warming up iom stage. Very Brechtian. I’m sure wherever he is Brecht was looking down with tears of pride in his eyes.

One could not help but hear the grumbles from the dance connoisseurs because last nights night’s performance fell short of what they had envisioned. Calls for “something pretty” or “we never chose that!” and disgruntled comments could be heard. But the truth was the performance was chosen and created by them, the dancers simply put the themes together.

Other audience members however totally loved the experimental work and they spoke to Foofwa after the show. He talked about how each performance has three basic skeletons; how the choices of the audience influences and resets the theme; so every night it’s a different theme, different spacing and is a challenge for the performers to remember the connecting combinations which will obviously shift.

Conceptually “The Making of Spectacles” is a brilliant idea of deconstructing dance while involving the audience.