CONVENTION BUSTERS
by Sanam Sitaram
August 24 2016 marked the beginning of Jomba!’s 18th edition, with founder and choreographer Lliane Loots christening the festival once again as a space for all bodies, and the rebellious dancer. Loots took the time to reflect on our own political and lived experiences as a nation, before handing over the stage to two European dance companies, hailing from Switzerland and France respectively.
Stark lighting and a reflective floor greet an almost full house as the two male dancers, Ioannis Mandafounis and Fabrice Mazliah, who comprise Swiss dance group Mamaza, burst onto Elizabeth Sneddon stage. The work serves as a humorous reflection of the human condition, and at one point a form of meta-theatre, as we feel as if we are invited into the rehearsal space, where the creation of dance takes place. The two performers speak over one another almost all throughout the work in a constant verbal stream of consciousness.
The seemingly sporadic changes in lighting teased the audience with the promise of a break in the repetitive layered monologues. EIFO EFI can certainly be considered “non-traditional” and despite the group’s European background, the work is right at home on Durban’s “Jomba!” stage. Highly contemporary from the setting’s sparse visual elements to the varying qualities in movement, Mamaza forces the audience into an altered state. EIFO EFI manages to both alienate and draw the audience in at various point during the work. I very quickly relinquish my attempts to decipher the continuous monologues and allow them to serve as background noise to the moving bodies- they do however, allow us to focus fully on occasional poignant gems of humor in reference to dance and the body. The work ends in silence with the two men facing each other seated on the floor. Certainly too “artistic” to be defined, as Mamaza had claimed in their tongue in cheek reference to certain contemporary dance styles and interpretations.
Known for their preferences for urban and outdoor spaces, it is no surprise that the performance of Calle Obrapia #4 takes place outside the doors of the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. The company Ex Nihilo perform amidst a backdrop of brick and tar, an environment which becomes a character in the work as even the walls become a useable surface for moving bodies. The audience gathers around the makeshift performance space as the dancers seem to emerge into space unassumingly. The phrase Ex Nihilo means “out of nothing” serves as a way into interpreting the quality of the work. The company “borrows” the space for the duration of the performance, transforming its energy into something immediate and lived; the interplay of tension and apathy is expressed in movements that can traditionally be recognized as contemporary dance combined with more natural bodily movements. The soundscape comprises of muffled radio sounds, as well music and dialogue in various languages layering the work in a way that speaks to the company’s affinity for travel and global exchange.
The night’s dance works complemented one another in style despite differences in physical performances spaces, both leaving the audience with perhaps more questions than answers.
