(Matthieu Nieto. Pic by Val Adamson)
A Work-in-Progress,
A Life-in-Progress: Nieto’s Neverland
Review by Thembani Ngxelo JOMBA! Khuluma Dance Writing Residency
Participant for 2025
Edited by Clare Craighead
On September 1, 2025, at the Playhouse Complex’s 410 Studio, French artist Matthieu Nieto shared a work-in-progress titled Neverland. With minimal lighting and props, the piece deliberately resists perfectionism, embodying life itself as a continuous rehearsal in self-discovery and representation.
Dressed simply in a white vest and underwear, Nieto began the performance lying on the floor, a microphone in hand. Rising slowly, his voice filled the room with lyrics echoing a man’s plea for love, a yearning underscored by movements both disciplined and intimate. At moments, his gestures grew sensual, thrusting, carrying with them an urgency for intimacy and connection.
As the performance unfolded, Nieto introduced a multicoloured cape—part cocoon, part shield. He described it as a “hide” from the world’s harsh realities, a fabric of escape that enabled him to access Neverland: a utopian elsewhere where fantasies are embraced, and his queer identity can flourish. In a society historically unwelcoming toward queer men, the cape became more than costume - it was a declaration of freedom and possibility.
It was here that the words of Aristotle came to mind: “The moment one decides to embark on a journey to understand and know thyself, then the doors to wisdom are open.” For Nieto, Neverland is both mirror and portal. Through song and movement, he channels identity, self-love, and self-discovery, inviting audiences to witness the ongoing process of becoming.
Though presented as a work-in-progress, the piece resonated with honesty. Its rawness was its strength. Rather than polished perfection, Nieto offered a vulnerable exploration of what it means to carve out space for oneself - to keep rehearsing not only the art but the self that lives within it. - Thembani Ngxelo
JOMBA! Khuluma
The JOMBA! Khuluma
is a Dance Writing Residency that runs as part of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance
Experience. The residency has taken on
many shapes and forms since its inaugural edition under the mentorship of Adrienne
Sichel in 2010, including international and local participation and
inter-university engagement including institutions such as UKZN, DUT and Wits
University as well as The University of East London in the UK. The aim of the Khuluma is to nurture the next
generation of dance writers in South Africa.
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