David April
review OFTHEWEEK
The FNB Vita Dance Umbrella has been a lifeline for South African performers and choreographers. It has grown to such an extent that a third Stepping Stones programme had to be added this year to cope with the increased number of entries.
The first two Stepping Stones presenting works from youth/ community groups and independents kick-started the festival on February 17.
The festival will continue until March 17, with performances at the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein and the Dance Factory in the Newtown Cultural Precinct.
A record 17 dance programmes will be seen throughout. Themes will vary from anti-Aids and alienation tonn drawing from past roots and keeping these pure for future generations and interculturalnn dialogues. Robin Orlin’s the future may be bright, but it’s not necessarily orange, will be perfomed by Ann Crosset from Denmark. Sello Pesa metnn Valerie Bergernn (Reunion Island) in Madagascar and they will be performing a duet called Everyday. Gregory Maqoma and Faustin Linyekola (who first met Maqoma in 1996 in Kenya when the Moving into Dance Company was touring Africa) will present Tales of the Mud Wall, which premiered at the Tanzwoche Festival in Vienna last year. Tshwaragano/In Touch Integrated Dance Project, directed by internationally renowned United Kingdom choreographer Adam Benjamin, will enter into its second stage. The process began in October last year with Benjamin working closely with Louise Katerega, another UK artist on the Tshwaragano project, which brought together local dance practitioners and teachers with disabled dancers and community workers in a workshop situation. The process will culminate in a performance at the Dance Factory with an as yet untitled piece.
In another exciting aspect of the festival choreographers have been commissioned to produce works. This was made possible by Business and Arts South Africa, which also helped market the festival. nnSome nnof the commissioned works include Zwelethu Sebolai’s Emotional Comment, David Gouldie’s Untitled, Moeketsi Koena’s Mekgwa/Habits, Johan Van Der Westhuizen’s Nomkhubulwana and Vincent Mantsoe’s Motswa Hole (One Who’s from Far Away). Local choreographers include Connie Kau and Themba Nkabinde both from Moving into Dance Mophatong with Chair this Chairy World and Construction respectively; Tracy Human’s Slippery when Wet; Moya Michael, now based in Brussels, with an untitled work; Ballet Theatre African with a new work by Gregory Maqoma; Jayesperi Moopen’s Tribhangi Dance Theatre collaborating with Sibikiwa Community Theatre; and Jeannete Ginslov’s Clinical Capsule, an interactive, multimedia dance work that incorporates dance, music, drawing and slide projection. The international flavour is added by many highly acclaimed performers and choreographers. Ze’Eva Cohen (Princeton University) and Aleta Hayes’ duet Negotiations deals with cultural dialogues. It was part of the critically acclaimed Female Mythologies, which has been seen in New York City and Amsterdam.
Other artists include Akram Khan (UK), Pascal Montrouge (France), Arja Raitikainen (Finland), Foofwa d’Immobolite (Finland) and Katherina Vogel (Switzerland).
Veterans are not left out of this exciting outpour of choreography. Sylvia Glasser, will be presenting a collaborative creation with Kau and Nhlanhla Mahlangu. The piece, emiT essaP: Time Passes, is a multi-layered work with live singing evoking many meanings.
Others are Gary Gordon’s Rock-a-Bye for a Sleeping Man and a Barking Dog, Jay Pather, from Siwela Sonke Dance Company with Laws of Recall, Grayham Davies from Johannesburg Dance Foundation presenting Sculptures, Jackie Semela of Soweto Dance Theatre with Blessing and another work by Orlin entitled we must eat our suckers with the rapper on. For more information contact the FNB Vita Dance Umbrella on Tel: (011) 442?8435