“CHANGE CAN BE OVERWHELMING, BUT IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY FOR GROWTH TO HAPPEN”
Thobile Maphanga Interviews Kristi-Leigh Gresse
Kristi- Leigh Jean Gresse is Durban born and bred, having attended the University of KwaZulu Natal and worked with Phakama Dance Theatre and the Playhouse Company. Her work, Fellow… which explores notions of isolation and one’s state of mind under lockdown, was commissioned as part of the nine works on the JOMBA! Digital Edge Platform.
In email conversation with Kristi-Leigh she confirms that this was her first foray into the dance film form, and for a novice who filmed and edited her own work, she definitely fooled me.
Unable to be in the studio due to Covid-19 regulations Ms Gresse had been keeping “[her] body happy as best that [she could]” before the commission by creating and doing her own classes or joining online classes via YouTube. To keep the creative juices flowing she hosted one-(wo)man improvisation sessions in her room which helped fight off insomnia and the frustration of not being able to be creative with other dancing bodies.
Covid-19 has challenged her choreographic methods more than anything, she says, and she is grateful for the time it has given her to reflect and discover new aspects of self. She remarks
“Change can be overwhelming, but it is often so necessary for growth to happen. I was feeling very overworked and stagnant before lockdown. I always love the process of transformation which comes with exploring new ways of doing and being, this is what I craved and had found myself in a cycle of doing the same thing over and over again. Covid-19 has come with many frustrations and limitations but has forced me to stop and have a hard look at the kind of work I want to create and how I wish to go about creating this work.”
She is grateful to JOMBA! for the opportunity to be part of the digital festival as it really pushed her to create from a different place and to let go of some of her old methods of working. Saying it was a very inward creative process, which she feels was what the work called for.
“I had to learn to let go of the way I have done things before and allow some new ones to take shape. Some days I would just put the camera in position and just move. I let however I was feeling that day dictate my movements. I can be quite mechanical in my creative journey and for once instead of letting my head do all the work, I let my emotions and my body speak. Then when it came to the editing process, I let my mind dictate the structure and storyline.”
Fellow… is a short film shot in black and white and deals with the subject of solitude in a montage like manner. The lighting and composition are excellent, I felt, and so I was somewhat surprised when I read that Ms Gresse had shot and edited this all by herself. She says of the process,
“It was frustrating at times because I chose to take on everything. I have no experience in filmmaking and choosing to film and edit the work myself was a risk. It took many late nights and early mornings but now looking at the work I found the process was so rewarding as it has sparked a new interest in me I wish to explore further. And it definitely sparked a fire in me to continue challenging my creative process and the mediums I wish to work with.”
This is not the first time Kristi-Leigh Gresse’s work has been showcased at JOMBA! Sullied premiered on the JOMBA! Fringe in 2017 and went on to win her a 2018 Standard Bank Gold Ovation award. In 2018 she presented Blank on the JOMBA! On the Edge platform. Personally, I am keen to follow her as she explores where this path may lead.
