The South African choreographer, Gregory Maqoma (Via Kanana o Broken Chord), will be premièring in Spain a contemporary dance show that meditates profoundly on death, memory and joint mourning, in the Sala Roja Concha Velasco at the Teatros del Canal on 5, 6 and 7 February.
Inspired by the novels Ways of Dying and Cion by Zakes Mda, the piece features the figure of Toloki, a professional mourner who travels between life and death to accompany those who are suffering. Set in a symbolic cemetery, the piece does not address death as an inevitable fate, but rather as a consequence of power, greed, and systemic violence. Through movement, music, and ritual energy, Maqoma develops a reflection on the loss and dehumanisation that continues to mark the history of South Africa and that of the whole world.
Maurice Ravel's iconic Bolero is the musical backbone, but it has been re-imagined with South African voices and isicathamiya harmonies (cappella singing style from South Africa), in collaboration with the composer, Nhlanhla Mahlangu. The result is a modern requiem in which the obsessive rhythm of the bolero combines with ancestral songs, creating a dialogue between Europe and Africa.
On stage, dancers from Maqoma's company will channel the spirits of the dead and turn sorrow into an act of joint healing, creating a staged ceremony of memory and resistance, which is a call to transform pain into awareness and memory into action.
Artistic File:
Venue: Teatros del Canal - Sala Roja Concha Velasco
- Concept and Choreography - Gregory Maqoma
- Composer and Musical Director - Nhlanhla Mahlangu
- Dancers - Otto Andile Nhlapo, Roseline Wilkens, Katleho Lekhula, Attie Nathan Botha, Noko Moeketsi, Monicca Magoro, Noelan Tshepo Molusi, Gilbert Goliath and Thabang Mdlalose
- Musicians - Xolisile Bongwana, Thabang Mkhwazi and Simphiwe Bonongo
- Costume Design - Black Coffee
- Stage Design - Oliver Hauser
- Original Lighting Design - Mannie Manim
- Sound Design - Ntuthuko Mbuyazi
- Technical Director - Barry Strydom
- Musical Assistants - Sbusiso Shozi and Xolisile Bongwana
- Photography - John Hogg
- Acknowledgements of Vuyani Dance Theatre - The Market Theatre Foundation, Zakes Mda and Showtex
- Representation in Spain - Vengaya Promotions
Approximate Duration: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Language: English with Spanish subtitles
