FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 – the second week

Last edited: March 08, 2010

Posted by Business and Arts South Africa

Batsumi is about men being the hunters and women being the gatherers. It looks at the stages of trance men go through before and after hunting and the challenges and journeys they encounter to provide for their families.

On March 13 at 19:30 and March 14 at 14:30 a Triple Bill featuring commissioned works from the Cape Town choreographer Mamela Nyamza and the Johannesburg-based choreographers, Mcebisi Bhayi and William Mbambo takes place at the Dance Factory.

Nyamza has created a work called Mendi 2, which is inspired by an event during 1917 involving a group of South African men of diverse descent, who came together for a common cause. The work looks at the multi-faceted nature of men gathering as subscribed by society. Fruitless Tree by Mcebisi Bhayi was inspired by Bhayi’s 2008/09 Asian tour where he was challenged to look at himself and the differences around him. It helped him to understand the concept of existence and non- existence. The last work on the Triple Bill Mzobane by William Mbambo, looks at being in South Africa in the 1980’s and Pantsula Dance, and the role it played in society then.

The final programmes in FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 includes a new work, 1st Draught by Sbonakaliso Ndaba, which she has created on Cape Town’s celebrated Jazzart Dance Theatre company and can be seen at the Market Theatre on March 12 and 13 at 20:15 and March 14 at 15:00. The idea for this work was inspired by a programme seen on 3rd Degree that dealt with illegal mineworkers. How far does one go in terms of searching for what will allow us to take the next breath, in order for us to simply survive? Some people are prepared to go into mine shafts six storeys underground; enter the mine gates illegally and pay security guards thousands of rands to do so.

Un-commissioned works that can be seen during the second week of the FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 include:
Asymptote, choreographed by Frauke and Orlando, is an Ankoku Butoh dance that explores the materiality of the body and its relationship to the natural world. This avant-garde Japanese dance form has inspired, mainly through its originating spirit Tatsumi Hijikata and his principal performer Yoko Ashikawa, a seemingly inexhaustible exploration into the realm of body consciousness. Asymptote is a Butoh dance that celebrates our physical materiality, a world in which the individual is infinitely connected to the elemental, mathematical, and patterned nature of our ecosystem. It is at the Barney Simon Theatre, Market Theatre Newtown on March 9 and 10 at 20:00.

On March 9, 10 and 11 at 20:15 there is a Double Bill at the Market Theatre which features Umfula Wa Ma Dada by Dada Masilo, a work she created in residency in Israel. Dancemotion, (Israel) an Association of three dance training programmes, proposed a work for presentation at FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 and invited Masilo to spend a month in Israel teaching and creating a new work for 12 Israeli and three South African dancers. In October 2009 she began creating a solo for herself, exploring new ways of moving in an attempt to create a fresh vocabulary - this was the starting point for Umfula Wa Ma Dada. For FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 Masilo will be joined by members of the original cast. Umfula Wa Ma Dada is inspired by the music of Tchaikovsky; and Indlela by Luyanda Sidiya which is inspired by the different paths human beings take to ‘find ourselves’. Indlela is a notion that looks at points of change in our lives, moments of distinction, a turning point in one’s life that determined one’s path, within personal lives, artistic lives and otherwise. Where we are (the Present) what influenced the present to exist (maybe the Past) should we dwell on the past or should we possibly look at shaping our future, (the Future) does the future exist already or is it waiting for us to build it? Dancers performing in this work are Martin van Heerden, Nombulelo Mashiqa, Thabiso Lekuba, Phuthi Mojela, Itumeleng Hlapane and Luyanda Sidiya.

Boyzie Cekwana returns to the FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 with an internationally acclaimed work called Part 1: Influx Controls… I wanna be wanna be... Cekwana looks at the difference of being black and white and how whiteness is reflected as being good and how this reflects on our lives. Cekwana can be seen on March 11 and 12 at the Dance Factory at 19:30.

Reunion-based choreographer Eric Languet will present a work called Faux Ciels (Fake Skies) at the Barney Simon Theatre on March 12 and 13 at 18:30, 19:30 and 20:30. This is an interactive work with the audience which will look at what can, and cannot, be said through dance and will explore the borders between a dancer and his/her audience in an intimate space. These performances are already fully booked.

iKapa Dance Theatre will be staging the much acclaimed avant-garde production, The Stadium, choreographed by South African Andile Sotiya, at the UJ Centre for the Arts on March 12 and 13 at 19:30. The production uses the cultural complexity of stadiums as urban, creative spaces to re-evaluate the dominance of high-art in a world that is increasingly being characterised by the triumph of the popular. The choreography revolves around games, issues and athletic dancing; breaking down the barriers that inhibit us to play with the pieces of our urban existence. This, according to Sotiya, is especially relevant in South Africa where stadiums are used for cultural events as diverse as concerts, political rallies, sports games and even funerals.

A series of Master Classes will also be offered during the FNB Dance Umbrella 2010. Nigel Charnock from Britain ran a series of workshops from March 1 to 5 which focused on bringing out creativity in dancers. The second series of workshops facilitated by Israeli dancer/teacher Dana Ruttenberg will run from March 8 to13. Ruttenberg is in South Africa with assistance from the National Arts Council and Tararam.

The popular Face-to-Face interviews and discussions, hosted by the highly respected dance writer Adrienne Sichel will continue for the second week of the FNB Dance Umbrella, from Tuesday to Friday at 1pm in the Market Theatre foyer. Artists to be interviewed on Tuesday, March 9: Thabo Rapoo and Luyanda Sidiya; Wednesday, March 10: Eric Languet, Lulu Mlangeni and Boyzie Cekwana; Thursday, March 11: Sbo Ndaba , Mcebisi Bhayi and Mamela Nyamza; Friday, March 12: a general debate on the Dance Umbrella: “Where are we going and how are we going to get there??”

FNB Dance Umbrella 2010, presented by First National Bank in association with the National Arts Council and The Market Theatre opened on 27 February. The festival started with Stepping Stones 1 and 2 at the Wits Theatre and had a grand opening event with a once-off programme in a marquee on the parking area in front of The Dance Space, Newtown on Monday 1 March. A programme of excerpts from FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 commissioned works was presented and the winners of the Pick of Stepping Stones, funded by the National Arts Council, were announced. Dance Umbrella Artistic director Georgina Thomson was awarded the Tunkie Award at the event.

FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 runs to 14 March with performances at various Johannesburg theatres: the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein, the UJ Arts Centre in Auckland Park, and The Dance Factory, The Market Theatre and the Barney Simon theatre in Newtown.

The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 has been made possible with assistance from First National Bank and the National Arts Council. Other partners include The Market Theatre; The French Institute of South Africa; the French Embassy in South Africa, Culturesfrance; Business and Arts South Africa; The Goethe-Institute of Johannesburg; The British Council; and Media partners: Citizen CitiVibe, ClassicFeel Magazine and Artslink.co.za.

Tickets from R60 to R100 are available at the door or can be booked at Computicket - 083 915 8000. Concessions/block bookings and subscription tickets are available.

For further information please contact 011 492 0709/2033 or click .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to email the Dance Umbrella.
The FNB Dance Umbrella 2010 hot-line for updates and programme schedules is 072 703 9332.
To visit the Artslink website for more information please click here.

All releases issued on behalf of FNB Dance Umbrella 2010
Dance Forum
The Dance Space
Tel 011 492 0709/2033
Fax 011 492 2030