Crossing Borders//Beyond
JOMBA! Khuluma Resident Writer for our 2021 co-hort, Taselo Mbhele shares these short form review responses to the “JOMBA! Durban Digital Edge”
The “JOMBA! Durban Digital Edge” is a platform in place to support emerging Durban-based dance makers. Over the festival’s history this has been a platform that intends to support, nurture and grow the next generations of South African dance makers (specifically those located in and around Durban). This year, small grants were given to 6 such emerging artists who were asked to respond to the festival’s 2021 theme “Border Crossings”. Their dance films that premiered last night (26 August, 2021) on the festival’s YouTube channel and are available on the festival’s website for the remainder of the festival. In their work, these emerging artists provoke, poke, contest and disrupt while sharing parts of themselves with us through their work.
The future of South African contemporary dance is in no danger, judging by the works on offer!
“Uhambo” noSabelo Cele
Our journey in life is unending, each step one takes is a part of their journey, their becoming. Each move, step, decision taken shows fragments of who you are and where you have been. We walk around carrying our histories, clothed in our dark, baggy, secrets and facing our truths in a cycle of push and pull as we dance and move to break through, to be seen. In this production, choreographer, Cele presents young Black queer bodies exploring ideas of journeying within space, time and direction.
The film begins with a performer walking backwards; the journey is unknown and may seem scary there is the risk of falling, such is life. We do not see where we are going, and we are not always confident with the next step however…
Sisahamba kulo lolu hambo.
“Border Impositions” with Sinethemba Khuzwayo
“We are all social beings. We internalize ideas from our socialization…” A quote by Chimamanda Ngozi in reference to how, as a people, we learn, see and adjust to how the society is around us. We are directed into certain spaces, we dress a certain way and speak a certain way having being guided and groomed to “fit in”. This dance film, by dancer/choreographer Sinethemba Khuzwayo, aims to locate the fragments that have been, and continue to be imposed upon female bodies. Borders are imposed as a norm for Black African female bodies.
How many things were forced unto you so you could fit in and not disrupt the norm?
Cameron S. Govendor, Aikyam … reincarnating identity
Identity: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”. As people how are we identified? Grouped? Is it only by colour? Height? Sex? After these groupings, do we then find who we are? With dancer/choreographer Cameron S. Govender’s Aikyam… reincarnating identity, audiences are led into an introspective look at what it is that might make us individuals; a body, a being. Am I just a fragment of my skin tone?
This dance film evokes ideas of being one, a unified whole, as humanity is but one.
Stepping out to view the different spaces the body can exist, even in different spaces, we still can see the body, even in darkness, in a light room or positioned outside, the body is still recognisable as body. And Body is body.
We are all merely bodies that are all parts of one body.
Aphelele Nyawose shares with us imThwalo
From a young age we are told what to do, how to act and how to be. We carry these guidances and instructions with us through our lives, with the piece imThwalo, dancer/chorographer Aphelele Nyawose explores the idea of “baggage”. The weight that is carried by the Black, African female body in a space where unforgiving patriarchy thrives. Nyawose confronts the ideas of marriage, burdens and escape.
Sihamba sithwele imThwalo nemiyalelo yabadala
Sihamba Sizibhala traced by Thobile Maphanga
(In becoming we leave traces of ourselves behind)
As beings we are made up of many bits and pieces that create the whole body that we see and even then we still are more than that. Our experiences in life make us who we are, the people we are able to connect with, the things we learn along the way. We pick up things from people. While we journey and grow through life we remove bits and pieces of who we were before we had learned anew, we remove the old habits to live a new life, we leave home to go study at University. We leave so we can become more. In this dance film dancer/choreographer Thobile Maphanga explores journeying, walking through the wilderness of life carrying history, memory and identity — gradually unpacking and offloading parts of ourselves.
We identify a new truth about ourselves and go beyond the limitations of who we were.
Nqubeko ‘Cue’ Ngema asks Can You See Me Now?
When a person has a calling, they are able to journey beyond the human realm to see into the spiritual and communicate beyond human contact. They journey beyond human borders and limitations. Through this production dancer/choreographer Nqubeko Ngema shares a piece of recognition, seeing oneself, being called and accepting the calling by breaking out of how one has been moulded to see and view life as just being a physical dimension.
Ulwandle luhlanganisa umhlaba wonke alinamikhawulo
