JOMBA! Fringe Illuminates
By Thobile Maphanga (Guest Writer)
The 21st Jomba! Contemporary dance experience has been “lit” I’ve heard many friends and fellow dance followers say, and the Fringe programme on Wednesday night did not leave us wanting.
With so much turmoil and debate in the country at present it was no surprise that the subject matter of the performances reflected the many distressing issues of the current state of affairs.
Wednesday night’s offering of 9 original works moved the audience through a myriad of emotions. I found myself holding my breath and having to remind my self to breathe, and at times even clutching my seat as the auditorium filled with tension from the moving bodies and voices on stage. What is always so wonderful about the fringe is the diversity in style and level of the voices that we see coming through. And it was really inspiring to see that even the new dance makers did not shy away from tackling the issues that have been left to simmer to current boiling levels in the country.
Lethiwe Mzimela’s “Her Voice” spoke to the current and very pressing issue of gender based violence. A playful relationship between male and female enticed us to laugh with and sometimes at the dancers, flanked by narrator and evocative singer. Her use of games, gesture, light and voice took us down a road that we are all too familiar with where playfulness turns to unwarranted familiarity and finally death.
JC Zondi’s “Thembelani” dealt with the ‘importance’ of education and the dream we have been sold that education will solve all our problems. As he moved around and with a mic that sometimes cooperated and supported his statements and observations we were encouraged to ponder the value of education in its current image, who it is for and who it serves. His depiction of a monkey moving across the books that were strewn in a semi circle around the mic stand, for me, was one of the most powerful images of the evening, stirring up memory of the recent #feesmustfall movement and debates around education in the country.
Sibonelo Mchunu’s “Immigrant” performed by Tshepo Rapola explored the idea of belonging and the feeling of being an immigrant within your own country. This introspective works’ use of Jacob Zuma’s singing and then the South African national anthem squarely brought our attention back to our leadership and the choices we have made and continue to make in this respect.
Carla Mostert and Rafe Green’s “Something is not right” brought us some light relief as they explored the idea of closeness. On a simple, empty stage with house lights up, the two performers dressed in plain comfy clothes broke the the fourth wall and tickled the audience as they explored the awkwardness of being exposed. Speech that started off as a disjointed monologue and turned into a dialogue between friends revealed how sensitive we can be to being misunderstood. The dancers bodies moved with ease alongside each other, folding, bending and connecting yet the disjointed dialogue that was quite comical spoke to so many interactions I (and I think many of the audience members) have been a part of, where it feels like the speaker is sometimes navigating a minefield of political correctness.
Ideas of culture and religion were not excluded from the evenings offering with returning Cape Town-based dancer and choreographer Yaseen Manuel, also pick of the fringe winner, bringing us a new duet that questioned contemporary interpretations of religious texts and man’s obsession with being all knowing. “Maktub”, a performance inspired by an Islamic parable, was beautifully crafted and staged, inter-weaving cultural and religious stories of both dancers with finesse.
“Isisekelo”, a collabrative work by Nkanyiso Mazibuko and the dancers explored the forgotten traditions and indigenous knowledge of Zulu culture. Beckoning us to remember and rethink our means to healing. While Vuyo Ndawonde’s “Umhlaba Wentethe” spoke to ideas of brotherhood and leadership as 5 male dancers moved to mimic each other until finally identifying the ‘chosen one’. Jabu Siphika’s duet entitled “Loss of a dream” spoke to exactly that. A powerful performance that silenced the audience as every dream imagined and held onto without questioning is exposed to be nothing but a dream with no comfortable place in current reality.
This year’s fringe offered much to think about and left me hopeful of what new dreams can be imagined for the future of dance makers.
Jomba! runs at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre until Sunday 8 September, see computicket for bookings.
