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Actor Hungani Ndlovu on merging dance and acting in theatre play about social media [VIDEO]
Actor and dancer Hungani Ndlovu has the opportunity to express two of his passions in a new play, Musical Chairs.
The acting dancer: Hungani Ndlovu is merging his passions for dance and acting in new theatre play, Musical Chairs. Picture: hunganindlovu/Instagram
People are often shocked that their favourite entertainers have more than one skill or talent because they’re often forced to choose one over the other.
Most South Africans weren’t aware that Thembi Seete could actually act until Boom Shaka’s popularity fizzled out with the demise of Kwaito.
Actor and dancer Hungani Ndlovu has the opportunity to work on both his passions in a new play, Musical Chairs.
“It does, it really does, in such a beautiful way,” Ndlovu told The Citizen.
Ndlovu’s directorial début
Ndlovu is making his directorial début in the theatre play Musical Chairs, which is a story — told through dance — of how society interacts with social media.
“It’s really refreshing. I actually think it’s groundbreaking. I’ve never been to a production or watched a production play of this nature. Not only because I’m involved in it, but because of the story and choreography and cast.”
Ndlovu is also part of the cast of Musical Chairs.
Social media interaction
Nldovu is one of the most active celebrities on social media, where he shares his work as well as more personal and intimate content of his family.
He said working on this piece has also made him think about his interaction with social media.
“It’s made me definitely ask myself, ‘How do I engage with social media and how does it impact my life?’, from a day-to-day aspect and like from a psychological aspect,” averred the former Scandal! actor.
“The things that happen, from people’s comments to the stuff that I put out and how it’s received, do I put things out because that’s the nicest version of myself or the truest version of myself” averred the actor.
But the play hasn’t made him change his behaviour on social media platforms. “Not necessarily,” he shared.
“It’s made me appreciate how I interact with it because I’ve become, I guess, more aware of how I interact with social media.”
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Pantsula, Isibhujwa and Hip-hop dance
The story is told through dance. “And dance is a language that surpasses any language barrier, so there’s no English, there’s no Xitsonga, there’s no Zulu, there’s no Afrikaans it’s literally dance and street dance.”
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By street dance, the Skeem Saam actor refers to Pantsula,Isibhujwa and Hip-hop among the dance styles the story will be told.
“I think because it is a story that I relate with, and many other people can relate with. I just thought, ‘There’s no way I can’t be involved’. So when he [Shirindza] said how I’d like to be involved, I gave an offer and one of the offers was to be one of the directors.”
From dance studio to theatre
Musical Chairs is mainly written and choreographed by Genesis Shirindza of The Locksmiths Collective, who is close friends with Ndlovu.
Shirindza and his cast initially performed the piece at a dance studio last year, and the storyteller in Ndlovu insisted on it being taken to theatre because of its universality.
“When I was there in support of him [Shirindza], I said to him that this show needs to go to a theatre. There’s no way that it can stay in the dance studio for the dance community, it needs to reach more people,” Ndlovu said.
Musical Chairs will be showcased at the Sandton’s Theatre On The Square. Ndlovu’s has the ambition of taking the show on tour.
“We’re hoping this will be the beginning of a tour for us so that it doesn’t only end at Theatre On The Square,”Ndlovu shared.
“…But we can go to the Market Theatre, we can go to the State Theatre, we can go down to Cape Town maybe even Grahamstown for the National Arts Festival — it’s a great story, and it relates and engages with young people, old people.”
“It would be nice to take this to every single corner, as far and wide as possible, for people to see that dance can go far beyond just being something that someone does as a hobby or does for fun or does on TikTok, but can actually be their livelihood.”
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