(Zinhle
Zama. Pic by Val Adamson)
Flatfoot Dance Company continues its three
year partnership with Durban’s inimitable Stable Theatre to present a very
special season of new African contemporary dance works which will have special
appeal for both a younger dance audiences and the more seasoned dance
aficionado.
Isiphethu is an isiZulu word which means “The Well” and this season of three
new dance work dives into considering the power of the image and symbol of “The
Well” to nurture and support the heart and spirit of the individual and the
community. Timeously created with the ideas of a 20 year democracy resonating
in us, Isiphethu is a personal
journey into understanding the collective spirit of South Africa.
Under the direction of Flatfoot Dance
Company Artistic Director, Lliane Loots, the season features the choreography
of Sifiso Majola, Jabu Siphika and Sifiso ‘Kitsona’ Khumalo, three of
Flatfoot’s most senior and awarded dancers as they turn their talents to
creating dance that will delight, amaze and entertain! Each of them have worked
with the idea of “The Well” and what this means to them so this feast of
contemporary dance offers a chance to see how three different choreographers
work around one theme or idea. This season will feature all six of the much-loved
resident Flatfoot dancers performing the works.
Isiphethu begins with Sifiso Majola’s Gugulami/My Pride and delves into the
idea of what it means to look into “The Well” and see your reflection and,
through this mirror image, how we learn to see our real selves; selves that
have ancestors who have guided us and nurtured us.
Jabu Siphika’s very personal solo dance
work follows. Entitled experience is a
good teacher, it draws on the idea that our daily trips to “The Well” are
sometimes filled with trials and tribulations but at the end as we draw from “the
Well” (our inner strengths), we are nurtured and refreshed as we step closer to
becoming who we are meant to be.
The season ends with the African
contemporary master work by Sifiso Khumalo entitled Ugubhu which roughly translates to reference the deep sound that
comes from the African drum. This work journey’s to “the Well” to find the echo
of what our lives should be like – the joy and the triumphs that echo in the
sounds of nature.
Now in its 11th year, Flatfoot Dance
Company is KZN’s premier African contemporary dance company. With numerous
awards for their dance work and recent international tours under their belts,
this is an opportunity to watch them and the magic of three new Durban
choreographic voices unfold at Durban’s Stable Theatre.
Isiphethu runs at Stable Theatre from May 22 to 25 with performances on May
22 at 11h00; May 23 at 11h00 and 18h30 and May 25 at 15h00. Tickets R50 (R25 students,
scholars and pensioners). The duration of the show is 1 hours 10minutes.
The special morning performances are to
encourage schools to take advantage of this season of dance theatre. Bookings for
any of the shows on 082 875 6065 or e-mail craighead@ukzn.ac.za
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