As we celebrate Women’s Month, The Playhouse Theatre takes things up a notch with its annual Women’s Arts Festival.
This week, theatregoers can look forward to a double bill of captivating dance works titled “Journey”.
The first piece, “Soritra” - which translates to traces in Malagasy - is produced by guest choreographer, Gaby Saranouffi from Madagascar.
Meanwhile, the second show, “The Salt On Your Skin”, is produced by Flatfoot Dance Company choreographer and artistic director, Lliane Loots.
These shows are not only to commemorate Women’s Month but they are also being staged to celebrate Flatfoot’s 21-year journey in the industry. Both productions delve into what it means to be alive at this point in history.
According to Saranouffi, “Soritra” is a fast-paced exploration of self as it searches for “traces of where we come from and where we are going.”
“It was inspired by the Malagasy indigenous abstract strategy board game ‘diam-panorona’, the movements of stones on the board horizontally, vertically and diagonally are intriguingly replicated in this contemporary dance formation with bold athletic movements,” Saranouffi explained.
With the dance work currently in its second year, Saranouffi shared: “I love letting it breathe new life when new dancers step in and learn it and make it their own. This is a work about the translation of culture, history and memory from one body to another.”
Meanwhile, Loots’s “The Salt On Your Skin” which premiered in May, will take the audience on a journey to the cities of the interior, offering a poignant and beautiful look at intimacy.
Referencing sweat, skin and other acts of love and labour that make up everyday life, this work is co-created with the resident Flatfoot dancers. They include Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Zinhle Nzama, Ndumiso Dube and Siseko Duba.
“This work draws on deeply personal stories of love, loss and hope,” Loots explained.
She uses dance to delve into these intimate narratives, imagining and transforming the larger story of our lives.
“We often mistake intimacy as being only about romance and sex and while this is also true, the intimacies of raising children, being a mother or father, of mourning lost family and friends, of waking up each day to come to work, of sweating in the studio as we dance through this all, is a shared intimacy that the Flatfoot dancers have given me.
“This work is for the dancers, it is a love song we created together,” Loots said.
With subtle and evocative lighting by Wesley Maherry, theatregoers are invited to witness this gentle dance work of intimacy.
Where: The Playhouse Drama Theatre in Durban Central.
When: From Thursday, August 15, to Saturday, August 17.
Cost: Tickets cost R150 and can be purchased at Webtickets.
“Mmasediba: Triple Bill”
Continuing with electrifying dance performances is a triple bill feature on Saturday, August 17.
“Mmasediba” celebrates women’s strength, while “Sehokolo” delves into men’s hidden struggles with mental health and lastly, “Dominion” is set to examine the essence of power in relationships.
Created by the Luthando Arts Academy, these captivating pieces aim to showcase the diverse aspects of the human experience through dance.
Where: The Playhouse Opera Theatre in Durban Central.
When: Saturday, August 17, at 2.30pm.
Cost: R100 and tickets can be purchased at Webtickets.
The Drakensberg Boys Choir Weekly Concert
Guests are invited to witness another round of vibrant and entertaining performances by The Drakensberg Boys Choir (DBC) at the school’s Ken Mackenzie Auditorium every Wednesday until August 28.
These youngsters are set to showcase their world-renowned repertoire of classics and modern pop, combined with the choirs’ own arrangements.
This includes foot-stomping, drum beating and dancing that have made the choir a true national asset over the past 57 years.
They are set to light up the theatre with their angelic voices and patrons can look forward to an evening of pure fun and toe-tapping singing.
Where: The DBCS’s Ken Mackenzie Auditorium in Cathkin Park.
When: August 14, 21 and 28 at 3.30pm.
Cost: Tickets range from R180 to R220 and can be purchased at Webtickets.