Smuggled ideas and hidden experiences revealed in public encounter
by Tammy Ballantyne (guest writer)
Forming a circle around the performers on stage, we become part of the act of watching, witnessing and waiting, in a public encounter between Boyzie Cekwana (SA) and Danya Hammoud (Lebanon) in “Bootlegged”.
We are aware of the intimacy and silence, that we cannot shift loudly on the seat or cushion; the urge to scratch and wriggle is suppressed as our gaze slides from those watching across and around us to the unfolding action in the centre. The lights are bright. We are invited to listen and share their concealed experiences.
This work is a small offering, just a taste, not an overpowering mouthful. It is subtle, intense and controlled. In the scripted text which the performers read from at the beginning, there is an entire feast of questions, observations and ideas to chew upon: “Where do we find ourselves in this period of extreme uncertainty? How do we imagine creating and writing a collective story at a time when all that which is common and shared is bending under the weight of bigoted contest?”
This Haiku is slow and considered. Hammoud moves from the couch first where they are seated, slithers to the floor and rolls and shifts across the space while Cekwana continues to read. He speaks of revolution and the body, the body as the pelvis and the pelvis as territory. Hammoud’s pelvis is the generator of her movement and as Cekwana joins her in the centre, singing “O mercy, mercy me, things ain’t what they used to be. Where did all the blue skies go?” they are drawn to each other.
Circling and turning, eventually touching, hips moving, holding and dancing, Gaye’s lyrics quietly play from the sound system. The moment intensifies as they grip, tussle, struggle and push. Then again they are gentle. The collision of their bodies echoes the desire to share and create with their moonshine ideas; to become intoxicated by their collaborative stories which have taken many years to come to the surface.
The material is deep and there is so much treasure to still uncover. We are left with the feeling of wanting more, more of their stories and reflections and a quiet space to reflect upon them.
Catch the second and final performance of “Bootlegged” on at the Sneddon Theatre at 19.30 this evening (30 August). Seating is limited, bookings can be made through computicket.
