Dance as Dialogue
By Nothando Ndlovu
Day 10 of JOMBA! at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Thursday evening, 4 September, at 19:00, saw the stage alive with energy and anticipation. The evening featured two compelling works: AMA — Once I was, then I wasn’t, choreographed by Hannah Ma in collaboration with FLATFOOT Dance Company and performed by Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Zinhle Nzama, Ndumiso Dube, Siseko Duba, and Sbonga Ndlovu; and KANYAR epilogue, choreographed and performed by Didier Boutiana. Both works interrogate identity, cultural memory, and human resilience, albeit in radically different ways.
AMA — Once I was, then I wasn’t is a visually and emotionally arresting exploration of motherhood, ancestry, and communal identity. It opens with Khumalo emerging from a large raffia garment, cowbells tied to his body. As he begins to move, the bells rattle with him — not shaken, but resonating as extensions of his body, amplifying his presence with a sound that cannot be silenced. The raffia frames his emergence as both transformative and ritualistic, while Khumalo’s articulation of “Ng’yeza” (“I’m coming”) evokes a call to maternal figures and ancestral lineage, drawing the audience into a layered, spiritual narrative.
The choreography employs repetitive circular movements, chanting, and searching gestures, building urgency and yearning. As additional dancers join in shimmering costumes, the work evolves from a solitary, almost claustrophobic space into a Disco-driven celebration of collective identity. One of the most poignant images comes when dancers sit individually on black chairs, bodies reverberating with sharp, contained contractions. The raffia, held in their hands, does not remain inert: it shakes and shivers with them, as though breathing in rhythm with their torsos. In these moments, body and fibre are indivisible, each contraction travelling visibly through the raffia until the material itself seems to pulse with memory and meaning. The dancers’ dialogue with the raffia makes it both partner and witness — an extension of their bodies and a vessel of ancestral energy. Symbolic elements — most notably the cow mask, resonant in isiZulu culture as a marker of femininity and fertility — further articulate the piece’s anti-patriarchal undercurrents, rooting the work in both feminist memory and contemporary critique.
In contrast, KANYAR epilogue presents a solitary meditation on urban survival, resilience, and the search for voice. Boutiana occupies a sparse stage under a single spotlight, enveloped by the ambient sounds of traffic. The act of tossing coins and exhaling smoke becomes a visual poetry of struggle, while the megaphone transforms his French-language speech into a ritualised plea for justice, opportunity, and recognition. Boutiana’s movements — shielding his eyes, turning away, covering his mouth — convey vulnerability, disorientation, and defiance, rendering the city both adversary and stage. The inclusion of traditional Réunion poetry (fonnkér) lends further cultural depth, situating the performance at the intersection of heritage, marginalisation, and creative expression.
Both works demonstrate the capacity of contemporary dance to interrogate complex human experiences, blending symbolism, physicality, and cultural depth to offer necessary reflections on identity, community, and resilience — inviting audiences to witness and engage with narratives that challenge, provoke, and inspire.
As JOMBA! heads into its final weekend in Durban be sure to book your tickets via WebTickets. Tonight’s performance (6 September 2025) showcases the CCA JOMBA! and The Market Theatre’s PHAKAMISA Dance Commission awardee Asanda Ruda’s KEMET — Black Lands. The work is offered in partnership with the National Arts Festival, with contributing funding from Standard Bank South Africa.
