(Pic by Val Adamson: Sifiso Khumalo)Flatfoot Dance presents a summer season of three new contemporary dance theatre works.
Flatfoot Dance Company, in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal's College of Humanities and its Centenary Celebrations of Academia in KwaZulu-Natal, presents Talking Spirits. This is a summer season that offers three invited guest choreographers making three new dance theatre works with the seven highly skilled Flatfoot dancers. The guest choreographers are Sifiso Majola (Durban), Jurg Koch (USA) and Sifiso Kweyama (Gauteng).
The ‘talking spirits’ of this season are the three choreographers from different geographical spaces and places, all using dance to conjure up their own particular brand of talking dance. The ‘talking spirits’ are also the works themselves; choreographic impulses that understand African ritual, desires for home and belonging, and the embracing of chance music tunes on a FM radio as the soundtrack of our lives.
The evening begins with Sifiso Majola’s Akundlela Engayi Ekhaya, a haunting duet that smoulders with unresolved challenges, the need to make choices and then finally, deciding to live with no regrets. This work was initially commissioned by the FNB Dance Umbrella in 2009, and this offers Durban audiences a chance to see one of South Africa’s newest choreographic stars, showcase his dance work.
The second work on the programme is a world premier for Flatfoot Dance Company! Having travelled from Seattle USA to work with Flatfoot, Jürg Koch has spent the last five weeks creating a quirky and lyrically challenging work called meanwhile. Dancers move in lateral progressions across the stage, missing one another, connecting sometimes and all the while a chance turn on the dial of a FM radio makes the soundtrack. meanwhile is about “all the important stuff that goes on in our lives while we busy ourselves with getting through each day. “
Also premiering is the third and final work on the programme. Johannesburg based Sifiso E. Kweyama has crafted a haunting ritual dance theatre work for Flatfoot called circle. This work began as an exploration of traditional values around story-telling and its place in both ancient and contemporary African society. It involved each of the dancers using this platform to negotiate their ‘stories’ and so the work has a very private and intimate sensibility. It is a combination of heart-stopping contemporary dance technique, in a style that has made Kweyama a much sought-after teacher and choreographer, with a tender social conscience and is sure to prove deeply moving!
Artistic Director of Flatfoot, Lliane Loots, says that “this season of cotemporary dance is going to be intriguing and captivating and will not disappoint audiences. It has been a rare privilege to have three such gifted choreographer’s guest with the company and offer them such remarkable challenges – challenges that the audience will certainly enjoy”.
Performances of Talking Spirits run at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from March 17 to 20 at 19h30 and on March 21 aat 15h00. Tickets: R65 (R50 students, OAP, and scholars) March 18 is “Cheap Thursday” where all tickets are R45!
The production then moves to Pietermaritzburg to present two performances at the Hexagon Theatre on the UKZN campus on March 25 and 26 at 19h00. Tickets R55 (R40 students, OAP, and scholars) Booking for both seasons is at Computicket.
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