A highly
valuable publication as a well-researched and documented history and
development of contemporary dance theatre is almost a university course in its
own right. (Review by Caroline Smart)
The
launch of Adrienne C Sichel’s book, Body
Politics: Fingerprinting South African Contemporary Dance was hosted by the
Flatfoot Dance Company at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on September 4, 2018,
as part of the 20th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience.
The
launch, which was presented in partnership with the comprehensive contemporary
dance archive, The Ar(t)chive; was hailed by Lliane Loots, artistic
director of Flatfoot, as an “auspicious moment in the history of dance.”
She
couldn’t have made a truer statement as the launch not only introduced the book
to the public but also celebrated the special person that is Adrienne Sichel.
It is an indication of Sichel’s commitment to her work that she has travelled
to Durban to every single JOMBA! festival since its inception.
Sichel
grew up on an orange and tobacco farm and started her writing career as a
fiction publisher in the Farmers Weekly. Since then she has become an icon in
the dance world and is universally acknowledged as a highly committed and
supportive reviewer and writer. Her path has been one of many achievements and
accolades as well as challenges in trying to get the print media to give more
coverage of theatre and entertainment. The book features a number of her
reviews carried in the Star and Sunday Independent.
Multi-award
winner Sichel describes her book as being “more concrete” than anything she has
ever done. It covers the way she “saw contemporary theatre dance and physical
performance functioning and evolving in the socio-politically charged,
culturally divided landscape of South Africa.” A great deal of research has
been done to cover all aspects of this subject. Sichel explains her responses
to a number of works, sometimes candidly revealing her initial battle to
understand the choreographer’s intentions.
A major
feature of the book is the tremendous spread of splendid full-page photographs
which capture beautiful moments of dance, the bulk of them by John Hogg who is
acclaimed for his photographic expertise on dance.
The
Appendix covers helpful information on South African dance festivals and
companies explaining each one’s operations and achievements. There is also a
section dealing with major dance training facilities in each province as well
as biographies of some of South Africa’s leading contemporary dance
personalities. She also has a section identifying the various genres of theatre
and dance.
Body Politics: Fingerprinting South African
Contemporary Dance
was originally edited by Tammy Ballantyne and Claire Craighead and is published
by Porcupine Press. It is a highly valuable publication as a well-researched
and documented history and development of contemporary dance theatre. It is
also a record of the impressive number of artists, companies and festivals who
have made a major difference in this genre. It’s almost a university course in
its own right!
At the
launch, Sichel made the following comments: “You can’t work in a vacuum. The
more work you see the better. Create your own frames. Value our own people.
Have the courage and determination about going to unknown places. Have the
humility to be able to offer yourself. Don’t be a sewer but one who is making
that work. Your main quality is curiosity.” Good advice, indeed!
Body Politics: Fingerprinting South African
Contemporary Dance was made possible through the
generous support of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), RMB, Porcupine Press
and Ian Hamilton. – Caroline Smart
The Ar(t)chive, was co-founded in 2012 by
filmmaker and visiting researcher at WITS University, Jessica Denyschen and
veteran dance writer Adrienne Sichel. In 2017 The Ar(t)chive officially
registered as an NPC. Denyschen and Sichel have over the past six years worked
collaboratively to create an archive that reflects the complexly political and
culturally diverse nature of South African contemporary theatre dance as it has
evolved over the past 40 years. The Ar(t)chive is based in the WITS School of
Arts.