CHOREOGRAPHED by Jay Pather and the Siwela Sonke Company, ‘Cityscapes’ is an edgy combination of contemporary performance, dance and traditional imagery which breathes life into the architecture and public spaces of Durban, and takes the form of four separate once-off free public site-specific works from 16 June until 11 July. ‘Cityscapes’ provides pathways, links and bridges, and points of intersection, meeting and departure. Taking place over four weeks during June and July, Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre will be taking over Durban by bringing dance to the public in exciting, confrontational ways.
Starting in at one point, the audience follows performers, discovering new spaces as the works unfold in a series of routes. Originally conceived for Durban in 2002, ‘Cityscapes’ introduced site-specific dance performances to various spaces throughout the city, including the Albany Hotel, 320 West Street, Musgrave Mall and Durban’s North Beach. The work then opened the FNB Dance Umbrella in Johannesburg in 2003, taking over the Carlton Centre, Devonshire Hotel, Sandton Square and The Oriental Plaza. Since then various permutations of ‘Cityscapes’ have been performed in Copenhagen, New York and Cape Town.
