DANCE: Thule Malgas
THE international showcase on the Arts Alive dance programme, celebrated United States company Donald Byrd and The Group, was received with resounding critical acclaim. A performance highlighting the marriage of American modern dance and classical ballet opened with a send-up of Giselle, a “romantic ballet”, and had a good part of the audience laughing right from the start.
Conceptually slick, Byrd is undoubtedly highly experienced and widely respected throughout America and Europe. This reputation preceding him, his choreographic prowess and virtuosity were eagerly awaited. Unfortunately for some. For, as impressive as the choreography seemed, it failed to stretch beyond convention, instead becoming thoroughly repetitive: reprocessed emotion and a series of identical high kicks and turns. And his wealth of experience enables him to structure the work in such a way that the untrained eye would have difficulty noticing.
The dancers are technically very strong, well-rehearsed and extremely confident in the knowledge that they represent a style that is their own and that they have evolved within US tradition. But, in retrospect, Byrd is still using the vocabulary used by yesterday’s masters.
Historically, South Africa has not pioneered a modern classical tradition. Hence inspirational sources remain foreign, except from young black choreographers, who fuse traditional and township styles with whatever technical skills they have managed to acquire. Because of limited training, a situation exists where audiences have to accommodate any artistic errors along the way.
Meanwhile, their white counterparts seem to be failing to develop the modern idiom to the level of international acclaim and there remains a handful of elitists running the industry, with years of training and degrees, adhering to the hype they create.
This country offers world-class technical dancers. But those that have the technical skill as well as the devotion to concept are being sidelined: he has exchanged his dance shoes for carpentry tools and she is giving up the leotard for an aromatherapy course.
Importing foreign companies will not solve the mess.The problem lies with those in authority who have hijacked the industry and turned it into a boxing ring, reducing the art of process to a competitive sport, with artists knocking out each others’ teeth to claim victory.
The Don Kings of dance should be taught the art of talent scouting; should learn to identify proficiency in teachers and bring back the culture of learning by building relevant institutions to nurture and create true role models who would hold their own internationally. Instead we are perpetuating mediocrity by offering meaningless platforms and awards – creating big fish in small ponds. True expression has become the victim of power-hungry administrators.