Mamela Nyamza
Hatched Ensemble
Cape Town
Nine dancers on pointe, dying swans, tense gestures of lightness and clothespins? What begins as the epitome of European ballet develops into a collective celebration of the emancipation of bodies and movement.
Mamela Nyamza’s «Hatched Ensemble» intertwines and confronts Western classical dance and opera with traditional African dances and vocal scores. Wrapped in powerful soundscapes, «Hatched Ensemble» offers an effective and intense visual language that speaks of the structural barriers experienced by Black African people in the white Western world of ballet and opera. Expanding on her autobiographical solo production «Hatched» (2007), Mamela Nyamza deconstructs the body standards and gender norms of ballet together with an ensemble of dancers, an opera singer, and a multi-instrumentalist. This gives rise to touching moments of self-discovery. The ensemble hatches itself anew.
Mamela Nyamza’s works are globally recognized and touring successfully. She stands as one of the most important artistic voices internationally to expose and combat the consequences of racist, sexist, and queerphobic structures. «Hatched Ensemble» – as emphasized by Mamela Nyamza – speaks to anyone who has ever struggled with their own identity and questioned their belonging to the status quo. (yd)
Simple words
In this piece, Black people dance ballet and African dances.
They also sing to opera music and traditional African music.
The artist Mamela Nyamza talks about the difficult situation in classical ballet.
There is not always room in ballet for Black people nor for people who say: “I am not a woman or a man”.
The people on stage show how we can make our own space and share it with other people.
Artistic direction and cast
| Konzept, Choreografie & Regie | Mamela Nyamza |
|---|---|
| Mit | Litho Nqai (Opernsängerin), Given «Azah» Mphago (afrikanische traditionelle Livemusik, Multi- Instrumentalist) Kirsty Ndawo (Probenleitung), Kearabetswe Mogotsi, Khaya Ndlovu, Thamsanqa Ndlovu, Amohelang Rooiland, Noluyanda Mqulwana, Zandile Constable, Thimna Sitokisi, Leorate Dibatana, Kemelo Sehlapelo (Tänzer*innen) |
| Licht & technische Leitung | Wilhelm Disbergen |
| Kostüme | Mamela Nyamza, Bhungane Mehlomakulu |
| Foto | Mark Wessels |
Production
| Produktion | Mamelas Artistic Movement NPC |
|---|---|
| Koproduktion | National Arts Council (NAC), Makhanda Standard Bank National Arts Festival (NAF) |
| Unterstützung | Moving Into Dance (MID) |
| Premiere | Juni 2023, Makhanda National Arts Festival |
Nord
Dance piece. Body politics & structural obstacles
Duration
1:05 hrs
Language
no language skills required
Age
16 years plus
Post-Performance Talk
Fri 30.8., after the performance
An inclusive event
Public Warm Up
Warm-up together on the Landiwiese, led by dancers from «Hatched Ensemble», Fri 30.8., 18.00 hrs, free of charge, no registration necessary
Collaboration
The performance takes place - also for reasons of sustainability - in collaboration with Internationale Tanzmesse Düsseldorf und dem La Bâtie-Festival de Genève.
Content Notes / Trigger Warnings
The performance contains nudity.
Dates
shows from today- Fr 30.08. 20:00 - 21:05 CHF 45.–/25.–
- Sa 31.08. 20:30 - 21:35 CHF 45.–/25.–
- Su 01.09. 18:00 - 19:05 CHF 45.–/25.–