Wide-reaching and thought-provoking dance piece arguably Jay Pather’s most challenging work to date. (Review by Caroline Smart)The term “body of evidence” has become part of today’s phraseology dealing with anything that represents an extensive and wide-ranging research into subjects such as medical, political, legal or social issues. Browsing the net, it seems that this term is used more often in the health field and this may be why Jay Pather chose to call his new work for Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre Body of Evidence.
Originally commissioned by FNB Dance Umbrella, Body of Evidence appeared at this year’s National Arts Festival and it is arguably Jay Pather’s most challenging and thought-provoking work to date. It’s a splendidly visual work with Storm Janse van Rensburg’s set and videography and Vaughn Sadie’s lighting which had its last Durban performance tonight as part of the Playhouse’s current New Stages Festival.
The production deals with the notion that the body remembers more than the head - responding to words, actions, light or touch. “To quote the programme notes: “But the body instead stores relentlessly, file upon file, bottomless cabinets of memory, individual and collective.” The question is asked “What does the body do with this ebb and flow of knowledge? What does a collective nation’s memory do with history?”
With James Webb’s evocative original music score, Body of Evidence explores this theme, perhaps too extensively for one single work as the audience is presented with an often overwhelming flow of fascinating imagery and new ideas.
We are bewitched by light and sound, learn about the origins of geraniums, enjoy rural masculinity boosted by feminine wiles, witness a traditional versus contemporary “boxing” match, observe a moving scene where a body rises from the grave and relate to strong comment on the government’s lack of attention to suitable housing. We get to see a gumboot dance performed by dancers with buckets on their heads and watch the dancers stride around in flippers, the kind that divers use. I predict that it won’t be long before flippers will appears as a new form of percussive dance! The dark side uncovers horrors revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Lest we forget.
Pivotal figures are Siwela Sonke stalwarts Ntombi Gaza and Neliswa Rushualang. Ntombi is seen in the role of a care-giver – a supportive figure, offering guidance to a young man through the complex trials of life. Beautifully made-up à la Marie Antoinette, Neliswa is impressive as an imperious figure of colonial domination dressed in a crinoline skirt with a majestic hairdo, sweeping all those who go before her.
It’s a very fine cast, with a standout performance from Siyanda Duma as a doddery acolyte to the regal colonial figure. Also extremely notable were Mxolisi Nkomonde, Siyabonga Mhlongo and John Cartwright. Strong support is provided by Nhlakanipho Cele, Sibusiso Gantsa, Nkhanyiso Kunene, Sandile Mkhize, Mxolisi Nkomonde and Chuma Sopotela.
Storm Janse van Rensburg’s evocative videography starts off with images of abandoned hospitals before moving on to projections of drawings from Henry Gray’s classic 1918 publication Gray’s Anatomy, often allowing these projections to be played out on the stage floor – in one particular sequence, the reflected image of a spine was used as a pathway.
Look out for Body of Evidence if it ever comes to a performance venue near you. – Caroline Smart
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