The dancers moved freely yet controlled by the expressiveness of the choreography, with strong neutral connection to one another, which aided the piece with a crucial layer; communication. (Review by Philisiwe Twijnstra)
Udodana is a dance piece choreographed by Musa Hlatshwayo, presented by the Playhouse Company for New Stages.
A confrontational performance that allows the audience to be drawn in; the closeness makes one want to pause and catch a breath, and forces one to retire in figuring out where to focus because the stage is split in four sections.
The audience were seated in a mirroring format surrounding the four-square split stage. The set-up is intentional, it adds to the complexities around masculinity and manhood, which these are the themes explored by Udodana.
The performance dance probes the depth of discovering self - I’m sure those who watched Udodana, would concur that the choreography is a layered experience not to be understood but to be lived in.
It questions the conditioning and norms of what a man is understood to be; but also, what it means when one chooses to redefine themselves for self, and whether it makes them less of a man?
The dance piece has moments in the choreography that makes one feel swallowed and trapped in a heartbeat of a warrior—while experiencing every sweat and heart-pounding of the drum, a powerful and excruciating crescendo so much so that silence becomes a much-needed bliss.
The dancers playfully balance eloquence and danger in their high jumps, and with intention they masterfully "imperfected" their kicks and transported their bodies to carefully tell the story. Visually, Hlatshwayo created an impressive dance sequence by situating the dancers on the single stage to feed and contrast and play with balance between soft and hard.
Hlatshwayo masterfully creates an exploration of manhood around social, cultural, and historical discourse. A notable element is the use of silence allowing the dancers to breathe, wipe their sweat, this gave such an impressive language to carve as they navigate through masculinity.
I find that the exploration of rest is crucial when parallel to man and manhood; can a man rest? Show exhaustion? Can a man take time and breath?
What was beautiful about Udodana was the subtle use of memory, and images; the marbles inside the bottles carried the memory of being a boy child. Udodana is embedded with stories we have undoubtedly kept hidden. A dance conversation that a father and son shouldn’t miss.
There are two more performances in the Playhouse Grand Foyer – tonight (May 27) at 19h30 and tomorrow (May 28) at 14h00. Tickets R90 booked at WebTickets. – Philisiwe Twijnstra
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