Mamela Nyamza is one of the many exciting performers who will show their work at Dance Umbrella and she can’t wait to return to the festival that gave her her start.
Nyamza will be bringing her performance, De-Apart-Hate to Dance Umbrella, a piece that has garnered much attention and excitement from art lovers across the country.
The piece was constructed in a way that she will be able to address and bring to light certain prejudices that she has been faced with throughout her life and career.
“This work is not about apartheid where everything is boxed into race and ideology,” she said. “De-Apart-Hate is truly about the state of South Africa, the state of South African arts and, indeed, the state of my own mind as an artist. These three aspects have inspired my work.
“Unconventional artists like myself find themselves alienated from the mainstream theatres and discourse. Lack of access to opportunities as an unconventional artist, insane profanities, sermons from religious pastors using the Bible to bash gays and lesbians and indeed hypocritical service delivery to our communities, are all ‘hates’ that are being addressed in this piece and we need to deconstruct that hate for the better, hence the name De-Apart-Hate.”
She will be bringing this exciting work to Wits Amphitheatre on 24 and 25 February, a venue she is quite familiar with.
“The State Theatre Dance Companies and I performed my solo piece Hatched in 2008 [at Wits] and now of course [with] Dance Umbrella 2017.”
More than anything, the choreographer is eager for the festival to begin with all the opportunities it presents.
“I am always looking forward to Dance Umbrella not only to perform but also to reconnect with other artists and their work.”
The festival brings together artists from all walks of life and they’re all ready to share their shows with you from 24 February to
5 March.
Details: www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za
Read: Cape Town’s finest contemporary dancer heads to Jozi
