JOMBA!’s “Open Horizons” — a rich tapestry of stories of anguish and triumph
By Nkosingiphile (Mancane) Dlamini
In early 2022, JOMBA! opened up submissions and applications for both long- and short-form dance films to be screened as part of the 24th festival edition under the banner “Open Horizons”.
Of several applications sent through, six were selected by an independent jury, and of these three were elected for jury awards. Cape Town-based “Experience’s” I Am placed first, followed by Johannesburg-based Tshepo Molusi’s The Convincer and Kenya’s Diana Gaya with her work Inside Out placing second and third respectively.
The programme opens with the bang of the blue door. I am introduced into the world of depression with Sibonelo Mchunu’s Ill State. Mchunu moves freely, like a snake, against the wall. He keeps moving, writhing against the wall until he becomes dirty from the peeling paint. As the work progresses, his movement becomes more frantic with flexed hands and jerky jumps, it is as though he is locked inside this blue door, isolated in narrow space…he goes to the door but can’t get out …he’s stuck between these two walls, they seem to be closing in.
I hear a sound like a broken record. I see choreographer/dancer Diana Gaya looking into the ground. Her work Inside Out feels both lonely and searching… Touching the yellow leaves on the ground, feeling them, I sense her touch. She tries to step onto the leaves but it feels like something is pulling her back. Gaya’s work is a commentary on the cyclical nature of violence and isolation.
I hear the sound of the sea, thus begins Braid by Sasha Fourie. On the beach, two women dance barefoot on the sand. Refreshing! The wind blowing, their hair dancing to the breeze. They stretch freely while holding onto and gently pulling each other’s hair. How beautiful it is to be free in your own skin, your own identity, your own hair.
I hear a very slow beat and I see image of the same person multiplied five times. The Convincer is Tshepo Molusi’s portrait of masculinity in crisis and an exploration of mental health issues. He screams and suddenly the other four reflections of him disappear. He is left alone, again, I am convinced that these images are just in his head. His dance is confined largely to his chair. His hands are fists, his feet often in hard flex. I get the sense that he is hearing voices in his head, he is disturbed and there’s an ominous shadow.
Isihlobo esazalwa sinje…bayasihleka…PINA by Kwanele Finch Thusi opens, a stationary body is water-marked over a moving body. An ashamed body/a free spirited body… a comfortable body/a fragile body. A body dressed with underpants and a black knee-length coat moving outside in an open space in front of people. The music changes, he laughs and opens the coat to reveal his body…
Feet dipped in sea water, heads covered, and a sea breeze pull me in to I Am. Philip G Anderson’s rousing, “Portraits” plays, as dancers Yaseen Manuel and Philasande Majikela move majestically. The camera focuses on their covered heads and articulate hands. I feel the spirit of Ubuntu and intersectionality. Falling to the ground, they reveal their faces. Together they run towards the sunset and find their rest in chairs as the screen fades to black…
The JOMBA! Open Horizons platform is fully digital and is available until the 11 September 2022 on the festival’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Jomba_Dance. The JOMBA! Edge programme opens tonight at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, with commissioned works by three KZN-based choreographers. Tickets may be purchased through Computicket. The programme commences at 7pm.
