In a nation defined by its dynamic journey over the past 30 years of democracy, South Africa has navigated a landscape of challenges and triumphs. From the euphoria of newfound freedom to recent turbulence and growing disillusionment, one word resonates profoundly with the essence of South Africa – resilience. Resilience serves as a poignant exploration of the strength, flexibility, and enduring adaptability of the South African spirit. Featuring three captivating works:
I am African
Choreographed by Jazzart’s Head of Training, Sifiso Kweyama, “I am African” pays homage to the interconnectedness of South Africa’s diverse population. It celebrates cultural diversity, tolerance, and our collective vision for a brighter future.
Battlefield
Choreographed by ex-Jazzart Company Dancer, Lihle Mfene, “Battlefield” is a powerful narrative about breaking free from societal constraints and embracing authenticity in a world that dictates how we should act and feel.
Dark Flock
Crafted by the acclaimed and award-winning duo MANACAN, “Dark Flock” delves into themes of intelligence, resilience, and unwavering willpower. It acknowledges the rich tapestry of our nation while underscoring our shared desire for progress and prosperity, transcending barriers of race, gender, and socio-economic background
Dancers:
Ciara Baldwin, Chesney Stanfield, Milisa Mathiso, Botlhale Sehoole, Emile Petersen, Zachary Peterse, Neo Khema, Aphiwe Sodlamba
JAZZART thanks the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust
Concept, Text & Direction: Boyzie Cekwana
Music: Maritri Garret
Performance: Maritri Garret, Boyzie Cekwana, Mandla Matsha, Thulile Zama, Sindiswa Motha, Zibusiso Mathe,
Production: randomirekshnz
Co-Production: Kaserne Basel, camaguTshawe, Spielart Theatre festival
…on behalf of a collective sigh traverses the terrain of love, loss, mental illness, memory and ageing. This exploration weaves its tale through soulful folk songs, movement, spoken and written words. The words and bodies form the tapestry of the choreographed scenography and ambience.
Concept/Direction/Presentation: Boyzie Cekwana
Music: Various Bootlegged samples
Cast of thousands!
This lecture performance attempts to trace an arc that links popular culture to social shifts in South African society over the past 50 years. The explosive rebellion of the Black and Queer sub-cultures heralded the tectonic, if short-lived, Disco era of the ‘70s. This period has strong links to the evolution of black popular cultural expression of the ‘70s in the US and how that influenced popular culture in the renegade sub-cultures of urban South Africa around and since that period. From Gil Scott Heron’s ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’ to Chico Twala’s ‘We Miss You Manelo’, popular music and its attendant dances subverted notions of the accepted order of the day.
On many levels, the ‘70s were a tough decade. With the end of the American war in Vietnam came the oil crisis and here at home, Steve Biko’s conscientising exhortation of Black Consciousness led to the school children’s rebellion against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in 1976. The rest is history.
The woeful, style bereft ‘80s saw the growth of the smuggling of struggle sloganeering into popular bubble-gum tunes with Mzwakhe Mbuli leading the way.
The lecture traces the tensions of the negotiations between the need for release of pent-up social rage, youthful need for free expression against the conditions of living in a conservative, repressive hetero-normative orthodoxy and a de facto police state.
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam is the concept that the world is one family. This theme inspires our performances here at JOMBA! through the universal language of dance.
Choreographer, Performer, Teacher: Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy
Choreographer, Performer, Teacher: Mirra
Choreographer, Performer, Teacher: Prashant More
Light Designer (Theatre Director): Gurleen Judge
Weight of Time
This work invites you to question the traditional idea of art having a purpose. Instead, it encourages you to be present and enjoy the performance for the sake of the experience. This dance piece offers a space for immersion in the art, composition, and shared emotions. It explores moments of boredom, silence, pleasure, solitude, anxiety, and vulnerability, illustrating how time transforms in the face of life’s routine.
Mycelium Maatu
Amidst vast plains, bathed in saffron hue,
The night falls on the horizon, painting skies blue,
Beneath the green trees, where stories softly flow.
The mycelium is a network of fungal threads that organize themselves naturally into a beautiful, open-ended structure that supports and connects each other. ‘Maatu’ in Kannada means talking or sayings, which play a vital role in oral communication and tradition.
Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy (and company) performs at JOMBA! thanks to the support of the ICCR and the SVCC in Durban (South Africa)
