(Principal
Dancers Deno & Tarika Nagessur of Rampage Dance Company. Pic by Joanna Tang)
Iqraam Rahim’s Rampage Dance Company
celebrates five years of The Eastern Evening brand (TEE). A one night only
dance production, Taking Flight,
lifts off at Virginia Airport’s Hanger 8
in Durban North on July 28, 2018, at 20h00.
“The new production is a celebration of
South African Indian dance culture from a millennial’s perspective, with the
focus on collaboration as opposed to competition, as in previous years,” says
Rampage founder, Iqraam Rahim. “My choreography is inspired by freedom of
movement and makes use of the principals of eurhythmy. It borrows from
practices such as “brain yoga” which activates both sides of the brain.”
“To mark Mandela Day, we celebrate Madiba’s
legacy by standing up for what he believed in. A dance work titled Ae Watan meaning ‘Our People’ is a
prayer inspired by the words of Desmond Tutu and directed towards our
Palestinian brothers’ and sisters’ suffering through apartheid.”
“TEE 2018 will also feature two notable
guest performances: Andrea Govender (‘Durban’s Dancing Jockey’) combines her
love of horses and gymnastics in a vibrant Bollywood number; and we are proud
to present the return of the now fully-recovered Durban-based Indian folk
dancer, Sanam Parboo, for her first stage performance since her car accident on
the eve of her wedding last year.”
The Eastern Evening brand has seen several
notable outcomes during its five years. Rampage Students have worked on two locally
produced feature films, Keeping up with
the Kandersamys. and the forthcoming Kings
of Mulberry Street – both of which feature choreography by Rahim.
Another notable outcome was The Exchange,
an international dance exchange programme created by Iqraam Rahim and Kshitij
Vaishnav, which was born out of TEE. With this golden triangle of dance (South
Africa, Canada, India), Rampage Dance Company aims to export the South African
Flavour of “Indian dance” to the rest of the Indian Diaspora. To date, 20 South
Africans, all TEE protégées, have been on the programme.
TEE 2018 performance on July 28, 2018, starts
at 20h00. Tickets R155, available on Quicket. More information on 071 237 2900.
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