Rodney Bell, Judy Smith Alice Shepard, Sonsheree Giles, Janet Das, Sebastian Grubb

After a long flight and a late-night arrival to campus, Alice, Rodney, Janet, Sebastian, Sonsherée, and Judith of AXIS Dance Company introduced themselves to the Bates Community with a lecture/demonstration in which they performed and discussed short samplings of recent works.

The company discussed rehearsal practices, educative initiatives, and what you do when you reach a limitation, like exhaustion, for instance—sometimes adrenaline gets you through, sometimes you need arnica the next day. Most audience members asked questions, though some affirmations slipped through. Omar Carrum, a choreographer with Delfos Danza and a teacher this year, stood up and poured his heart out to the company: he was frightened at first by this new and unknown form, but he was astounded by their effort and their beauty. We all agreed.

The following day, we drove down to the Morrison Center in Scarborough, Maine for another lecture/demonstration. Over 100 audience members came from numerous agencies serving the disabled and as the performance began, one could hear shuffling feet and rolling wheels pouring around the corners of the space. Everyone wanted to see just what these movers were doing. Again, they performed tastings of larger works, this time incorporating the audience. To conclude the show, the members of AXIS improvised with audience members. Together, they moved like water, like popcorn, with slicing motions, high up and low down. This was very clearly the highlight of the show.

AXIS lead a physically integrated dance workshop at The Morrison Center in Scarborough, ME.

After the show, kids hovered around Rodney asking questions and feeding off his exuberant energy. Physical therapists from the Morrison Center talked with members of the company about movement techniques: Sonsherée advised that instead of demanding mimicry, an instructor should suggest imagery. This allows for personal expression instead of specific stipulations. Alice also suggested establishing a movement language that everyone could attain, even if that’s only moving your eyes.

Rodney Bell and Sonsheree Giles

The week progressed onward, with rehearsals galore and the occasional class. Most of the company members stopped in during the Contact Jam, and we all moved together, many jammers experimenting with the technology of a manual wheelchair for the first time. A few AXIS dancers dropped into festival classes, such as Cynthia Oliver’s class, Text and Movement, wherein they collaborated with students on phrase work and its deconstruction.

On Saturday afternoon, the company held a workshop with local and festival participants. The class began with improvisational games: sculpting the body next to you, being led by the subtle force of touch, and locomoting in patterns. Then the class moved onto compositional tools. In pairs, we created phrases that had similar intentions to a duet demonstrated by Rodney and Sonsherée, however the outcomes varied tremendously. We spent the rest of class being blown away by our peers’ work.

The workshop was extra special, because three of the local participants were returning to Bates to work with Judy Smith (director of AXIS) for the second time. They had first worked together on a community dance project in 2003, and paid the company the highest honor by electing to return seven years later. One local participant, Mallory, described why she felt compelled to return: “it is completely inspiring to reconnect with my creative self and really just let myself be taken away with the movement.” She further noted just how righteous it is that AXIS is not providing an “ ‘adaptive’ program, but one integrated so that people can just feel out movements, learn from each other, and in the end create something ultimately beautiful.”

Arika Zeilfelder, Judy Smith, Mallory Cyr and Tim Byrne

The company performed an impressive program of works on both Friday and Saturday night. The evening began with Joe Goode’s the beauty that was mine, through the middle, without stopping which toys with the authenticity of sight. Next up was Alex Ketley’s Vessel that opened with a duet to which Nancy Salmon, the Assistant Director, attested, “it was the sexiest thing I’ve seen in a while.” The show closed with a raw and sweet piece by Bates festival alum, David Dorfman, called Light Shelter. Dorfman described the choreographic process in the post-performance Q&A, stating, “in the beginning, rehearsals focused on establishing a common [movement] vocabulary in order to determine what we could risk.” It is because AXIS takes such risks, that they reach their audience’s hearts.

And yet, they are not doing anything more extraordinary than being themselves. Talking with audience members after the show, the most common adjectives were “awe-inspiring,” “beautiful,” and “intense.” Ariana, a festival participant added to this list, asserting that “their collaboration of varied bodies was clever and full.” Two different dancers, Emily and Safi, both told me individually that AXIS’s work inspires new concepts of unison. The dancers in AXIS cause you to think, cause the humanity to pour out of you, simply by using the bodies they’ve got and moving them on stage.

Om Devi, an audience member who used to improvise with Judith Smith, director of AXIS, could see the development of the company and the work. She remarked on their use of levels and subtext, and claimed, “they are pushing their own edge and expanding by doing set choreography.”

A few moments stuck in many audience member’s minds: Sonsherée spinning on Rodney’s wheel, Sebastian lifting Rodney, Lisa narrating her walking (and stopping) patterns, Alice manically tracing her face, and Judy calling out improvisational instructions. For some, the images stick. For others the feelings abide. Just ask workshop participant, Tim, and he will convince you “their show is the most memorable, moving stuff you could see.”

Reported by Project Assistant Lindsay Reuter

Sadly this is my last day in Joburg. I wish I could stay longer  to continue dialogue with members of the dance community. I have learned a lot during my short stay but there is so much more to know.  I regret having to miss the last two performances by Boyzie and Erik.

I attend the afternoon talk with Mamela Nyambza, Mcebesi Bhayi and Sbonakaliso Ndaba whose works will be performed this evening on a triple bill. It is an honor to get to know these artists through their own words and I am deeply moved by their intelligence and commitment. Mamela is an incredible striking woman with a passionate nature. A native of Capetown, she makes work about controversial issues and events. From the sounds of it pretty radical stuff.  She was trained in ballet, modern and jazz, spent a year at Ailey and performed in “The Lion King” before returning to Capetown to “do something interesting and different from her past.” She is currently working on a piece entitled “Shift” based on the real life killings of lesbian soccer players in South Africa. She has also been commissioned by the British Council to create a video installation for London’s City Hall to inaugurate an exhibition about racism in soccer.

Sbo is a strong, direct and totally down to earth individual who clearly knows what she is about. I like her immediately.  Also from Capetown, she has been making work a long while and has garnered many accolades. For Dance Umbrella she has create a piece on JazzArts, the premier company from Capetown. Sbo talks about her Zulu upbringing in a family of sangomas (traditional healers). She did not follow in her grandmother and mother’s footsteps and wonders if that decision will come back to haunt her someday. She works improvisational and draws on her background of traditional dance. She never plans a piece or starts with an idea but instead starts in the studio with  improvisational structures and watches what comes. She builds from there completely organically (my word). She sees this herwork in dance as a calling and something ‘deep.’

Mcebisi discusses his new work, “Umthi Ongathwaliyo” (Fruitless Tree) which deals with ritual, his reality as an African, and history.  Specifically, the piece deals with drought and death — people dying before their time and trying to return from the dead.  He describes collaborating with a Singaporean artist, with whom he had serious conflicts, and admitted that he was not willing to back down or change his vision for the work.

Later I attend a run of Mcebesi’s piece in the studio.   He dances in Gregory’s company and is working with the same group of five dancers. I love seeing work in the studio!  The piece is well crafted and shows good choreographic instincts. It is more sophisticated in this regard than some of the others works we have seen. I am sorry I cannot see it fully produced.

Again check out my colleague, Marjorie Neset’s blog (http://mneset.wordpress.com/) for another take on all these experiences. She got to stay two days longer so will comment on the final works being presented.

This afternoon I enjoy one last amazing meal at the Lucky Bean Restaurant on 7th St. in Melville with my traveling pals, Jodee and Marge. We take our special table on the upper balcony and order some of our favorite food and wine. We are inspired to preserve these moments of pleasure in photos lest we forget the awesome presentation and flavors.

I am sad to be leaving and am dreading the 17 hours flight home. I have one last drive through the city with our friendly driver, Gerry. As it turns out the flight isn’t as bad as I imagine. Its totally full but somehow I scrunch up and doze most of the night. The pilot announces after we take off that they are leaving all of our luggage in Joburg due to some weight imbalance. Two days later it still has not arrived…argh!

I return home feeling much more knowledgeable about the dance scene in South Africa but also understanding how incredible complex and layered the issues are around democracy, race, equality, integration, arts support, collaboration and building an authentic community. There are so many similarities to the U.S. Every country must trace its own path, and though they are often similar, real deep down learning only seems to come from experience. It sees tragic that we cannot learn by observing the pitfalls others succumb to. Our inability to learn from one another and make smarter progress may well prove fatal for our dear Mother Earth. Time is short … and a drastic change in direction better come soon or even art won’t  matter any longer.

When we as a race and planet face such dire issues it is hard to become too deeply distressed by the struggles of the dance world – the scarcity of resources for the arts and the lack of interest among the majority population.  Yet I do believe that the arts are the most compelling way to awaken people to feel and to act. The insightful work I have witnessed here digs into many crucial issues. If only more people would pay attention!  Certainly these artists are worthy of greater recognition and support. I am hopeful that Dance Umbrella will find a new sponsor and continue to thrive. Likewise, I hope that we will find support to introduce American audiences to more of these compelling voices of contemporary Africa. I have made a vow going forward to focus on the women artists of Africa and have already made invitations for 2011. Stay tuned!

Today we meet with Sylvia Glasser who I first got to know in 1999. She gives us a tour of their beautiful new building, introduces the staff and fills us in on recent developments. In the lobby Sylvia tells me she wants to introduce me to a very special person. A petite older woman is washing the floors with her back to us. She turns and I see Vincent. This is his mother. I give her a big hug. The encounter brings tears to my eyes. She has worked all her life as a cleaning woman and her son has become an international dance sensation. We visit and take some photos. It is so lovely to meet a family member of an artist I have known for a long time.

We attend the afternoon talk with Eric Languet from Reunion Island and Boyzie Cekwana. Erik’s three dancers are performing a work, “Faux Ciels” (Fake Skies) about prostitution in which one audience member pays for a solo performance by a dancer in a private room. Only 10 people can see the show each night. The dancers repeat the performance for each individual audience member.  For their research the dancers visited strip clubs and interviewed prostitutes. Each dancer created their own individual solo. The piece has been performed in the street with the dancers ‘soliciting’ customers. It deals with dance as prostitution. Erik regards beig a classical ballet dancer as a form of selling oneself — not thinking, performing the steps and looking beautiful.  Erik was a classical dancer who became disenchanted with ballet. He went on to be a member of DV8 where his eyes were opened to an issue-based way of working. Erik notes seeing CandoCo which totally changed his perception of how dancers can communicate who they are.

Boyzie talks about his new work,  “Influx Controls: I wanna be wanna be” described in the program as an “asphyxiated cry for total and ultimate assumption of full humanity. ‘I wanna be’ is ‘I Wanna Be White’ since whiteness is goodness; whiteness is having in a world of have-notness.” Part performance part installation, Boyzie collaborated with his nephew who designed the costume and serves a set person in the work. “I wanna be…” deals with questions of identity in its various forms and fallacies.  The idea for the piece came from a trip to the Congo where Boyzie came face to face with the “living legacy of colonialism.” He notes that in South Africa “we have found ways to brush over our own issues with colonialism –and continue to buy a glossy portrayal of our contemporary existence.”  I am in awe of Boyzie’s intelligence and articulation. He is one deep thinker.

This evening we attend a shared program of works by Dada Masilo and Luyanda Sidiya. Dada’s piece, “Umfula Wa Ma Dada” is a mock ballet in white tutus set to Tchaikovsky.  It was created for a large group of students from Israel with a few locals thrown in. Dada is the soloist and dazzles with her verve. The finale includes some itty bitty dancers who are adorable and amazingly adept.

Luyanda’s piece, “Indlela” is inspired by the different paths people take to find themselves.  It features three extraordinary musicians, two percussionists, a guitar player and singer. The scene opens with the musicians framed in the arches of the back wall of the stage in low light. They gradually emerge onto a set of steps across the back of the stage space. The music is truly transporting and it is hard to focus on the dancing.  The piece begins very slowly. The lighting and costumes are beautiful, the dancers very proficient, but the dynamics of the choreography don’t vary enough to keep my interest.

I spend most of the morning writing and taking another long walk around our  neighborhood. Tonight we see a new work, “Batsumi,” by Thabo Rapoo, a young choreographer with Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM).

MIDM is the most established company in Joburg. It was founded in 1978 by Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser as a non-racial dance company and training organization, during the height of apartheid. Dance was used as a form of cultural resistance to apartheid. At the basis of all the work was the concept of integration – integration of people as well as the integration of African and Western cultures. MIDM’s signature Afro-fusion style was born at this time – a blending of African ritual, music and dance with Western contemporary dance forms. Vincent Mantsoe has taught Afro-fusion at BDF and this summer Michel Kouakou will teach his version during the Young Dancers Workshop.

Sylvia Glasser has been a leading force in contemporary dance in South Africa. She has discovered and trained many artists who have gone on to successful independent careers such are Vincent Mantsoe, Gregory Maqoma, Moektsi Koena, David Matamela and others.

MIDM has recently moved into a fabulous new building next door to Dance Factory and Dance Forum and across Fitzgerald Square from the Market Theatre. It is the arts district. Here the three leading dance organizations sit side by side with great potential for collaboration. MIDM’s building is modern, colorful and pretty swanky. It features three studios, a library, meeting room and offices for the staff.

Thabo Rapoo while not trained at MIDM is currently creating works on the company. He is a musician and choreographer. Tonight we see “Batsumi” that deals with hunters (men) and gatherers (women) and the states their travel through. It features live music performed on two violins, cello, keyboard and percussion. Thabo plays percussion. The musicians are set on a raised platform at the back of the stage. The piece, which includes nine dancers, begins with one male dancer coming down through the audience singing a traditional song.

The vocabulary is a mix of traditional and contemporary movement. The most inventive choreography comes midway with a duet featuring imaginative lifts. This is a fresh young group of dancers who are strong performers who will develop with more performance experience. The piece goes on too long and has several potential endings. It would benefit from some serious editing. The music is lyrical and gorgeous. It carries the piece and sometimes stands out more than the dancing.  The audience appears to include many friends and family who are very  enthusiastic.

This is our day off from the festival as no performances are scheduled.  We take the opportunity to get out of the city and head to the Magaliesberg hills, an area northwest of Joburg about one hour’s drive. Our driver Lawrence, whose company is providing transport for all the festival participants, is a knowledgeable guide. Magaliesberg is bordered on both the north and south by small mountain ranges with a gorgeous valley in between. The Crocodile River runs through the region. A dam at the east end creates a large lake. The landscape is extraordinarily beautiful which has made it a big tourist destination.  In earlier times the region was renowned for its game but trigger-happy trophy hunters have, for the most part, shot out the game. The Afrikaners in particular, have developed many high-end lodges and game reserves.  The region of rolling hills and amazing vistas is now home to many working farms.

Lawrence takes us on some back roads to visit the dam and then we are off to Maropeng – the Cradle of Humankind. Maropeng covers 47,000 hectares of mostly privately owned land. It comprises a strip of a dozen dolomitic limestone caves containing the fossilized remains of ancient forms of animals, plants and most importantly, hominids. Here the earliest human skulls have been excavated. Maropeng includes a museum built five years ago, sited on a beautiful high piece of land with views in all directions. This is a very special place.  The buildings are thoughtfully placed in the landscape. The exhibits are well thought out and executed to appeal to people of all ages. Our guide has worked there since before it opened and his name is listed on the plaque by the door.  The museum presents a decidedly enlightened point of view about the origins and evolution of our human species and the future we are facing.

While I would really have liked to take a hike in the hills instead of just admiring them from the car window it is nice to get out into the big open spaces.

Today Gregory Maqoma takes us on a personal tour of Soweto — his hometown. In fact it is the hometown of most of the black people we have met.  It is about a 20-minute drive east of Joburg on a good day with light traffic. Soweto has a population of about 4 million. It is the largest black township in southern Africa and is quite a bit larger than Joburg.  It is comprised of several zones. Since apartheid the streets have been paved and the homes, many built by the government, have been improved a great deal. Of course some areas are much nicer than others and there are still some squatter villages of corrugated metal shacks that are really dismal. But, there is also a brand new, very upscale mall complete with a giant soccer ball! The three new soccer stadiums built for the World Cup are all on the way to Soweto and are quite impressive.

We cover al lot of ground in three hours. First stop is to visit Gregory’s home to meet his mother and brother. He has helped them to create a lovely home with three separate buildings around a courtyard, all the modern conveniences, surrounded by a secure wall and gate. Everywhere from the wealthiest suburbs to the poorest neighborhoods people have walls often topped with razor wire or spikes to deter intruders.

In my field so rarely do we  meet the families of those we work with. Meeting Greg’s Mom is a treat. She is warm and lovely. She gives us some of her delicious corn muffins that take the place of lunch and keep us going through out tour. Greg’s younger brother has just been initiated as a sangoma, a traditional healer. He is building drums from 50 gallon metal barrels and cow skins.

Our next stop is Freedom Square built to honor the triumphant resistance movement led by the ANC and dedicated to Walter Sisulu, co-founder with Nelson Mandela of the ANC. It is an enormous plaza flanked by two incredibly long tall buildings. It was designed to give a sense of space and freedom from wherever one stands within it.  Along one side is a busy market street with many small shops as well as an open air food market with colorful piles of fruits and vegetables. This feels like a hub – it is dense with people buying food, getting haircuts, doing errands and socializing. It is Sunday so most folks are not working.

Everywhere we go along the roads people are walking or waiting in the hot sun for taxis.  One must drive or be driven to and fro as the distances are far. Most depend on crowded taxi vans to commute to work.

Our next stop is the place where Gregory and Vincent first got introduced to dance and began to practice their moves. Its’ a hostel where the migrant workers still live and where dance competitions used to be held on weekends — its’ a pretty depressing, rundown place. We stop for a drink at an open-air restaurant in the complex– a favorite among locals – that serves every part of the cow. Everything is on display—a half a cow carcass is hanging in one alcove. Through a crack in the walls we can see where they are butchering. In another shack they are preparing and cooking the entrails. There are big grills going where meat is being barbecued. Tables are set up for the diners and there is a small store where you can buy drinks.  To our ‘oh so health conscious’ American palettes this is pretty scary — meat, meat and more meat with almost nothing to accompany it but some potato salad.  The flies and filthy surfaces where everything is prepared are enough to put one off eating for a while.  But, its’ amazing what a stomach can endure—its all a matter of what you’re used to!

We also stop at a community center—each zone has one. Most have a variety of spaces for different activities like a library, sewing center, gathering space, art rooms, etc. We are lucky and find a modern dance class in progress. There are three drummers accompanying and about 20 students of all ages and levels of experience.  I am surprised by the contemporary nature of the material being taught. This center is large, one of the older ones and a bit shabby.  Some are brand new and very spiffy as are some of the schools.  There has been a lot of development in the infrastructure and yet Greg says the government is still building the same crummy matchbox houses for people.

We move on to the home of Nelson Mandela – a must see although there isn’t much to it. This is where he and Winnie first lived when they were married. It is now a museum and the neighborhood around it is jokingly called Beverly Hills. Its’ gotten pretty swanky with cafes and guesthouses.

Another very important landmark is the Hector Pieterson Museum built to commemorate the young teen who became the iconic figure of the youth struggle. He was made famous by a photograph seen around the world. In it he carries a wounded child through the streets of Soweto during the youth uprising. It is a beautiful museum and landmark that sits on a hill overlooking the township.  This was the site of the uprising and of Hector’s tragic death. There is a monument of stonework and water that includes the famous image. Also in the complex is another community center where Greg has often performed. In this place, as in Freedom Square, the weight of history is heavy. I feel the presence of struggle and grief — but also the incredible power of the multitudes that risked and lost their lives in the fight for freedom and equality. It is one thing to read about these events from afar. It is quite another to stand it the place where history was made.

We return to Joburg for the evening’s performance. The triple bill features, Lucky Kele, who was a residency artist at Bates in 2006 & 2007. From my visit with Lucky yesterday I learn that the piece grew out of an encounter Lucky had in which he came upon a young woman giving birth on the street. It was a terrifying, bloody experience. The piece is about a baby girl child and the agony and abuse she suffers in the world. The set includes a wall upstage left, painted with a chaotic abstract design in red. Upstage right is a bloodied board on which lays some sort of undecipherable creature.  A second performer who appears to be a kind of sage dressed in a robe, speaks a text most of which I cannot make out. Lucky is a tortured soul who dances out the agony. It is wrenching.

This morning we are off to Rosebank Craft Market that is housed in a large mall, like many others around the world, except that it features this fabulous craft market with handmade items from across Africa, a flea market, outdoor cafes, impromptu performances and great people watching. We have come for the crafts — two floors of jam-packed little stands with eager sellers. I decide to survey the entire market before purchasing anything — always a good idea! I also want to survey the pricing as I have no idea what one should pay for things here.  There is much to see but many vendors carry identical wares. I search for what is unique. Textiles are my weakness and several stands carry raffia mats from the Congo that are beautifully woven in earth colors with erratic geometric patterns. In the flea market section I come upon a vendor who has everything spread out so I can look through the piles without assistance. There are way too many and it all becomes a blur but finally I settle on two small ones for which I pay 350 rand or about $50.

The beadwork is amazing. Every imaginable type of jewelry and toys are made with beads and wire. Apparently this technique originated in the Congo and Malawi. I buy two funny little critters and a gorgeous necklace. Thankfully the vendors are not very pushy. It is customary to bargain a bit but I’m not fond of the process.

After a while we select a deep corner of the Europa Café for our meal of the day. How civilized this all feels. Good food and time to enjoy it. Afterward we come upon some street performers – two young men who are doing a variation on vogueing with their double-jointed shoulders. Their movements make us wince. Next are some fire-eaters who do nutty things like lighting a pot on fire and wearing it as a hat. Ouch!  The best of all are a group of traditional singers and dancers dressed in animal skins.

From the market we head back to the next performance by a young hip hop company, Konexion. Nine dancers organized into three groups perform an hour-long series of loosely choreographed sections demonstrating a variety of styles.  The breakers are pretty hot and show off some inventive variations on familiar moves. There physical feats seem anatomically impossible. One little guy has the arms of King Kong and does amazing stuff on his hands. Overall it’s more of a review than a dance but fun to see.

Then we wander back over to the Dance Factory for a performance/installation, “The Time of Small Berries” created/performed by Sello Pesa and erf [81] cultural collective (Peter Van Heerden and Andre Laubscherz). We enter the theatre and are led not to the seats but instead back out into a rear courtyard where a mutton is roasting on a spit. Sello is in a corner performing a ritual bathing from a bucket of water. He does a thorough job including teeth brushing. Then a large, noisy garage door is hand cranked open to reveal a scene (on the stage) of a table set for dinner for 10 or so — white linen, crystal glasses…the works. Chairs are set up surrounding the table for viewers. Andre invites members of the audience to take a seat at the dinner table. He commences to engage the guests and members of the audience in a discussion of culture, rape, race, politics and privilege. Some ‘diners’ appear to be planted at the table to spur the dialogue. A series of wild actions ensue around the table. Sello ties Peter up with a garden hose. A bag of corn hung from the ceiling is smashed and pours onto the floor. We hear chickens clucking away in the corner. The rooster eventually ends up under my chair.  The garage door creaks opens again and Andre goes out with an electric carver to slice off some mutton to serve the guests. Three crates of beer are brought in and passed around. Several bottles are ritually sprayed around the space and over the pile of corn. Various people rant on about politics. Sello changes his clothes mounts a pile of crates and begins giving a presidential speech. He changes his clothes and characters and repeats this several times. Peter attempts a nearly impossible task of carrying two broken bags of corn around the room. A futile effort — the corn spills out everywhere. Sello pees in a pail and I cannot watch what he does with it. This type of performance art is not my cup of tee.

Eventually the scene dissolves and the crowds wander out around the roasting lamb to eat,  drink beer, socialize and discuss the piece.What seems evident is that “The Time of Small Berries” is speaking to what happened to the traditions of the indigenous people under colonialism.

In the talk the previous day Peter van Heerden (a member of erf) talked about “the body as live art inscribed by life’s experiences.” Their interest in this work is to explore what it means to be African in this moment in South Africa and how to assimilate and move forward.

This is the big question on everyone’s mind — how to move forward. In one way or another nearly everyone is grappling with this issue. Seventeen years into a young democracy with the weight of such a tragic and difficult history South Africans of all backgrounds are seeking a way forward to peace, equality and prosperity for all. Many inequities remain in play. Our visit to Soweto (coming up) helps us Americans to fill out the picture.

I must admit this is one of the most enjoyable trips to see work I can remember. The weather is mostly perfect with a thunderstorm here and there. Our four-star guesthouse is totally charming and comfortable with many lovely little touches like the soothing sound of fountains, one by the front door and one spilling into the pool near the dining room. Interesting birds come and go. The food is good everywhere we go and so is the wine! Our schedule is relaxed and reasonable allowing time to keep up on email, consider the work we are seeing, write this blog, and get a sense of where we are.

This morning I finally take a two-hour walk all around our neighborhood of Melville with my camera. It feels great to stretch my legs as I have done way too much sitting these last few days. In Joburg everyone drives everywhere as there is no good public transport and it’s a big city. Melville is a charming neighborhood. Mature trees and plantings make such a difference in how a place feels. There are flowering shrubs everywhere and beautiful trees, palms and cactus. Huge lavender shrubs decorate many yards – I wish they would grow like this in Maine!  Homes are hidden behind high walls with some sort of sharply edged deterrent atop.  Security signs abound.  Several times I am startled by charging, barking dogs. Fortunately they are behind metal gates that enclose every driveway.

Melville is on a hill that looks across a low area to the city proper.  One can see the skyline with the Top of Africa spindle that one can go up. There is little traffic but I must keep remembering which way to look when crossing as they drive on the left here. I pass several churches, two schools, and come upon a marvelous antique shop that is set up mostly out of doors. The yard is a delightful series of displays arranged with an artist’s sensibility. Humor and folly abound. This little stop makes my day and I go on my way in a state of delight.

Tonight is the big gala held at the University of Johannesburg Theatre. First National Bank, the Festival’s biggest sponsor, really puts on the dog. There is a huge tent set up in the parking lot decorated to the nines with a full bar and several food stations. Leather couches (very popular here), tables and chairs have been brought in and arranged to encourage schmoozing.  Champagne is flowing freely before and after the show. Sadly most of the seating is soaking wet as there was another terrific thunderstorm this afternoon—following my walk fortunately.

The concert features highlights from past festivals and is clearly programmed to be accessible and entertaining and to please the sponsors. It opens with a well-crafted early group work by Gregory Maqoma entitled, “Black Men…White Balls” — a provocative title for a piece in which four men (and one girl) innocently dance with white soccer balls.

Also on the program is Vincent Mantsoe’s solo from 1993, “Gula Matari,” an enchanting piece in which Vincent becomes a bird, song and all. There is truly no one else like him – he is a force of nature! This piece won several awards and launched Vincent’s career as an international sensation.

The concert ends with a spicy group work, “Unraveling Carmen,” choreographed and featuring by Dada Masilo set, of course, to Bizet’s “Carmen.”  Dada is a sensation, when she is on stage no one else matters. At 24 she seems destined for a great career. I am excited to find a strong woman artist amongst all these men and have invited her to Bates as a residency artist in 2011. Hopefully she won’t get too busy to come.

Uncharacteristically, I hang around for the party afterward and finally get to talk with Gregory. We commiserate about the stresses of running a festival and trying to keep everyone happy. We also reminisce about his recent U.S. tour of “Beautiful Me” which opened at Bates where it was first developed.  Greg gives me the lowdown on some of the politics and players in the Joburg arts scene. He also fills me in on his latest projects and introduces me to his Belgium colleagues for whom he curates the biannual AfroVibes Festival taking place next year in three English cities.

To my great surprise my colleague, Jodee Nimerichter from ADF has arrived and we visit over a glass of wine. No one told either of us that the other was attending but we are delighted to have a chance to talk shop. Jodee is also staying at our guesthouse so she joins our little gang.

Today’s talk is with Musa Hlatshwayo and Acty Tang. There are 20 or more artists present for a lively discussion.  Musa talks about the importance of process over product. To develop the work he asked his dancers to do individual research.  The focus of their examination has been on the dominant patriarchal system that restricts and oppresses women.  Interestingly some version of this theme seems to run through many of the works we are seeing.  Musa described the process as “a clearly confused journey.” Having seen the work I would agree. The ideas discussed were not clearly evident to me in the performance. But th opening olo as I said earlier was quite powerful. With a little prodding Musa’s student dancers speak up.  Most interesting are their experiences of the creative process and the discovery of how dance could convey complex intellectual constructs. This way of working is opening them to new worlds. Even if they go on to become technologists and doctors they have a fire in their bellies now for dance.

Next we went to lunch with Nelisiwe  Xaba to learn more about her current work and investigate the possibility of bringing her to the U.S. Both Marge and I had seen Neli’s duet with Kettly Noel in Tunis two years ago and were completely intrigued. There are proportionately so few women making work in Africa. This is something I want to dig into more. Across Africa it seems that family and social mores strongly dictate professional pursuits and for both men and women dance is not encouraged as a career path. Time and time again I have heard dancers talk about their struggle with parents who did not want them to pursue dance. Not so different from the states in this respect! But clearly the pressure is stronger on women to be mothers and home keepers. Artistic ambition is misunderstood and is frowned upon.

For lunch we went for the first time across Fitzgerald Square, a large open plaza bordered by Museum Africa.  Finally with camera in hand I began to document — old women with buckets on heads and young women with babies strapped on back, boys and men of all ages in soccer T-shirts. Interesting murals and graffiti.

The World Cup is coming in 94 days. Everyone is counting down and is incredibly proud that South Africa was chosen to be the site for this major sports event.  The stadiums have been completed but there is road construction everywhere and folks don’t seem too optimistic that all will be ready in time for the anticipated crowds.  Crime has apparently been reduced dramatically in the last few months with added police and diligence in preparation for games.  Signs everyway declare Joburg a world-class city. Hopes are high that the World Cup will really put Joburg on the global map and attract tourism and
investment. I get the sense that everyone is being cautious so that nothing bad happens before June. People encourage us to be escorted arond and not to walk downtown alone.

This afternoon a visit with Gregory Maqoma was planned but as the Festival Curator he is madly busy trying to keep all the artists happy, oversee production rehearsals and stay on top of all the performances. Boy do I know what he is dealing with! No matter, Greg is taking us on a personal tour of Soweto on Monday (our one day off) and we will have lots of car time to catch up.

The performance this evening is a triple bill featuring works by PJ Sabbagha, Moving Into Dance Mophatong, and Acty Tang held in the Barney Simon Theatre, small black box space in the Market Theatre. I had already had a chance to meet and visit with PJ who happens to be friendly with my Bates pal, Michael Foley. The dance world is really so small! Of the three works, PJ’s “Deep Night” stands out. A compelling 20-minute excerpt of a longer work, “Deep Night” deals with man’s desperate desire to belong and be loved. It draws its impulse from the ‘witching hour’ of night when desires become all consuming.  A video of dark city streets is projected throughout the work on the back wall and creates ambience without pulling one’s eye and competing with the dancing.  The two women, Dada Masilo and Lulu Mlangeni are absolutely fabulous –gutsy, fierce, sexy, provocative dancing. PJ makes clever use of a leaf blower to reveal the legs and panties beneath the flimsy slips worn by the women. Further along newspapers are blown onto the nearly naked body of Dada and later still shredded newsprint is blown in a large quantity to transform the stage space. “Deep Night” left Marge and I wanting to see more and eager to consider a U.S. tour depending on how the full work plays out.

Also on the program is “Dark City,” a powerful work by an entirely new group of dancers from Moving Into Dance, one of the most established companies in Joburg.  Choreographed by Themba Mbuli the piece was inspired by Constitution Hill (formerly Old Fort Prison) and created to honor ex-political prisoners who devoted their lives to freedom.  The piece conveys the horrors of imprisonment under apartheid. Props included hand and ankle chains that were manipulated into hang ropes. Set to a rhythmic score the choreography uses unison movement to create powerful images of struggle and unity.

Acty Tang, originally from Hong Kong, created a fanciful solo entitled, “Child” that completed the program.

At each program I am missing reading the artist’s bios in the programs. There are none.  This is fine if I already know the artist, but when I don’t, I feel less informed that I would like to be. I realize it is a big project to collect and edit all these bios but I feel it is somewhat disrespectful of the artists and leaves the audience without very helpful and intersting information. Something to work on for the future.

So … there are about 20 African artists in the room of all ages from Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and South Africa – all are attending workshops or performing as part of Dance Umbrella. The conversation covers a lot of ground but keeps coming back inevitably to politics as I said. The attention to race is an omnipresent factor mostly on the part of European audience members. And yet we keep hearing this issue brought up by artists who are also grappling, in a totally different way, with the issue of what it means to be Africa in the newly established democratic South Africa.  Regarding Vincent’s work, that features a mixed race cast, the persistent question is why is Vincent using white dancers? How/why does that change the viewers understanding of the work and how they respond?

Vincent expresses his utter frustration and annoyance with this preoccupation with race. His goal is to achieve a “sharing” among the collaborators/dancers that transcends race and is about connecting to the common spiritual ground that motivates his work.  As an artist who grew up I Soweto among a family of sangomas, now lives now in France and works around the globe, Vincent speaks of South Africa as his true and spiritual home and where he finds inspiration. His work, “San” began when he found a book about the San people in an airport and become mesmerized by their culture, their journey and finally how their nomadic tradition was destroyed. He describes this work as the first where he consciously took on a political theme.

Neli rages a bit, and rightly so, about how the Europeans have all the money and thus control over who gets supported and how. She describes the difficulty of finding support to make work at home in Africa and of finding paying audiences to appreciate it. Neli talks about there being no way to “play” at home as there is little access to studio space or support for development. She, like others, are dependent on support from Europe to continue their work. She expresses frustration that this cycle keeps being perpetuated. Some South Africa artists acknowledge that Dance Umbrella is the only annual showcase for contemporary dance in the country especially for younger artists. For those emerging artists who have not yet gained international attention, DU is likely the only opportunity to perform their work all year.

This is serious! Because First National Bank –the primary sponsor of Dance Umbrella for most of its 22 years, has announced that it will terminate support after this season. The future of the festival is in doubt. DU is working hard to find other funders to allow them to continue their vital role in fostering the still nascent dance scene here, but clearly everyone is worried. Now that DU has gained the interest of a widely diverse and committed the support is more critical and deserved than ever.  It is only a slight consolation to note the existence of Dance Factory, the new Goethe on Main center, Moving Into Dance and other organizations who are also fulfilling a vital role supporting the local dance community.

Meanwhile, we American stand by with earnest concern and deep interest yet feeling completely unable to offer the kind of support that is so desperately needed and so often comes from Europe.  For the U.S., the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world (but for how much longer?), to care so little for the arts at home and abroad is an embarrassment to say the least. We who have made dance our life, recognize and respect the remarkable contemporary work being created in Africa and elsewhere but have little means to significantly contribute.  This was the main impetus behind the creation of The African Contemporary Arts Consortium (of which BDF is a founding member. For more info see: https://www.batesdancefestival.org/african.php) – to bring together passionate, experienced U.S producers to deepen our knowledge and find equitable means to engage with and support artists working across the continent. Our hope is to make a convincing argument on behalf of this work and leverage some small amount of support.

I digress—back to our conversation with the artists. While Vincent sees his work as very deeply rooted in his personal/cultural traditions, Neli considers her work to be more globally focused. After all she note, race is still a universal issue around the world. Vincent says that through his work and teaching he attempts to break down barriers and connect people to spirituality. Yet, he often finds that westerners do not understand this as the basis of his work.

An interesting side note—both Neli and Vincent began dancing as teenagers by mimicking Michael Jackson videos. This story can be heard around the world and is a testament to the power of the global media and to Jackson’s enormous influence on dance. Across Africa young people very often do not have access to training or professional performances/artists/techers. Watching youtube is often their only source of information about dance.

Moving on to our evening activities—we went first to Goethe on Main, a brand new arts complex developed by the Goethe Institute. This is a remarkably hip and gorgeously renovated facility located downtown.  Multimedia artist, William Kentridge has his studio here. The complex includes a flexible performances space, snazzy café and restaurant, a bookstore, and studios for other contemporary artists/designers.  After a quick tour we attended a performance by Musa Hlatshwayo.

Musa is a theater artist, choreographer and teacher trained at the University in Durban. His piece, “Moses” deals with social fragmentation that he articulates through the idea of a dream state. “Moses” features the debut of four of his terrific students from Durban, all of whom are majoring in other subjects like technology and biomedical science. Musa begins the piece with a powerful spoken word and movement solo. His flavor, intensity and intelligence reminded me of Bamuthi and I want to introduce them.  The piece continued with a duet by the young men followed by solos with the women and a long group section of intense dancing in and around an increasingly complex landscape of barriers created with cautions tape that Musa continually strings across and through the space. By the end the space is entirely carved up with the dancers deftly slipping in and out of many confined areas. The hour-long work featured a loud, cacophonous sound score, beautiful projections of individual dancers, army boots worn, hung in the space and worn around the neck finally, flashlights, shiny, leathery costumes and a repetitive series of slightly violent, angst ridden movement phrases. At the talk the next day we learned that the company had no advance information about the small performance space and had to make significant adaptations to their setup which compromised the integration of the projections.

As we attempt to leave for the Market Theatre we find our brand new little car has a dead battery. Not a minute passes before our driver has recruited someone to push us and jump start the engine. They are resourceful as hell! We arrive in time for Nelisiwe Xaba’s remarkable piece, “Black! …White?” An elaborate production featuring three performers, multiple movable set pieces including a toy lamb, projected animation of running bugs, beautiful fabric panels with wearable built-in costumes pieces, many costume changes and brilliant, idiosyncratic characterizations and mime. This is an exceptionally imaginative creation that amuses and delights. One cannot help but laugh out loud at the opening section — a quirky, neurotic female character fastidiously arranging and rearranging every detail of the set only to be undone by two devilish destroyers. The most inventive and amazing scene occur midway when Neli and her male counterpoint, both dressed in black and white lycra bodysuits, act out a pantomime while laying on the floor. The third performer, masked in black, defines their environment via masking tape. The whole scene is projected onto the hanging panels to exquisite effect. This scene is somewhat akin to Japanese Bunraku puppetry with the eye draws to the projections not to the live action on the floor.
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