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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

NAF: RUST COLOURED SKIRT




(Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, Adelaide Majoor, Alfred Hinkel & Byron Klassen)

A fine, enjoyable and fascinating production. (Review by Caroline Smart)

Alfred Hinkel was a well-known figure on the Durban dance scene in the late 90’s when he joined the Education and Development Department of the Playhouse Company (formerly the Natal Performing Arts Council).

He was much involved in the creation of the Siwela Sonke Training Programme. This was later headed by Jay Pather who elevated the production to independent registered professional status. Now operating as Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre, it has gone on to achieve much acclaim. After a long history with Jazzart Dance Theatre, Hinkel returned to his roots in the Northern Cape village of O’Kiep, exploring new means of dance-making.

I never saw Alfred Hinkel actually perform on stage as a professional dancer. However, in my days as a producer of Durban inserts for television arts programmes, I certainly covered rehearsals of productions he was choreographing.

Therefore it was a great pleasure to see him perform in Rust Coloured Skirt, which premiered on the Main Programme of the National Arts Festival, presented by his Garage Productions. The cast included Adelaide Majoor, Debbie Goodman-Bhyat (formerly of Jazzart), Byron Klassen and Hinkel himself.

Directed by Hinkel’s life partner, John Linden, the cast was involved with the choreography along with Linden and Heinrich Reisenhofer.

The production opens with screened images of travelling on a road through a vast countryside. Hinkel’s voice narrates a halting and hesitant explanation of an emotional journey and there was some glorious harp and violin music. Later on, I wished the screened titles had stayed on a bit longer as they went by too quickly to catch the relevant information.

Rust Coloured Skirt is about personal relationships - and the journeys and contrasts involved - all related through the medium of dance. Emotions and moods. The break-ups and the reconciliations, the joyous and the poignant, the strength and the gentleness. It’s also about teaching the art of dance to newcomers. There is much humour as well – both ironic and overt.

Set in a rehearsal room with a few schoolroom-type chairs, which are used to great effect, this journey takes in the fact that, not only Hinkel has returned to the stage after a long period but so has Debbie Goodman-Bhyatt. Challenging their experience are younger dancers Majoor and Klassen, the latter providing some superlative movements.

The over-riding memory I have is one of Hinkel’s character calmly tolerating the over-abundance of the younger dancers’ energy, eventually showing them that one can achieve power through less exuberance. Compared to spectacular leaps and turns, Hinkel’s one arm raised in a simple but meaningful attitude speaks volumes. In the end, less is always more.

Dance is mainly focused on young people – most dancers being in their 20’s. It’s good to see mature dancers proving that they’ve lost nothing of their skilled technique over the years.

This is a fine, enjoyable and fascinating production – catch if it comes your way – Caroline Smart

“Rust Coloured Skirt” was recently performed at Artscape in aid of Cape Town dance legend Christopher Kindo who is seriously ill.