Sizwe Hlophe and Mzamo Kunene perform in Hlophe’s “Tran(ce)itions” at the Jomba! Fringe. Photography by Val Adamson.

Transitioning through the festival

A reflection on my journey as an artist in the JOMBA! Fringe by Sizwe Hlophe

Lauren Warnecke
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read

The JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience has yet again hosted a successful JOMBA! Fringe. This platform helps young artists showcase their works as an opportunity to develop and find their voices as choreographers and dancers. Fortunately this year I was given the chance to be part of the Fringe and show one of my own works.

I worked closely with Mzamo Kunene, an astounding performer from Mlazi. We met in 2014 in the Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre training company and from there incubated our skills as dancers for the years to follow until 2016. He has worked with Phakama Dance Theatre and is currently a resident dancer for the Playhouse Company.

This journey to the JOMBA! Fringe for me all began in April when JC Zondi, one of my closest friends, sent me the application form and convinced me to apply. Honestly, I was hesitant at first but then eventually convinced myself otherwise. So I sent in my application after asking Kunene if he would help me bring my idea to life if the application was accepted. Time lapsed and I had even forgotten about having applied.

Then in June, to my surprise, I received an email from JOMBA! congratulating me for my successful application for “Tran(ce)itions,” a 15-minute dance piece. Then began the back and forth communication of the administrative part of my work. This ranged from discussions of lighting requirements, duration of the piece, music, etc.

What followed was an intense rehearsal process. That began with Kunene and I discussing and unpacking the concept of my piece, that spoke about ideas around manhood. In coming up with the idea, I felt that as males, society, religion and tradition dictate to us what we should be doing in our development as men but hardly helps us understand how. So I decided to interrogate the transitions of these dictated stages. Like a person in a trance, we can see, hear and feel, but can only respond to commands whilst having minimal control of how we control the outcomes of our actions.

I have been on the Fringe a few times before, but only as a dancer for other people’s works such as Mandisa Harrhoff, Katie-lee Wisdom and Zenzelisphesihle Sparky Xulu. This was the first time I had my own work staged on this platform.

It brought a sense of excitement seeing artists in the greenroom warming up, going over bits of choreography and psyching each other up for performance. One thing that made me love and enjoy my craft is the sense of respect and support we all share for each other. For example, five minutes before going backstage you will find artists coming up to you wishing you well for your performance and reassuring you that you will do well on stage. It doesn’t end there; even the technical staff is supportive, on my side of backstage was Lisa Goldstone hyping us up before heading on.

The highlight of the Fringe for me was seeing my friend Thulisile Binda, who I also trained with at Siwela Sonke Dance theatre from 2014–2016, win the Pick of the Fringe award. It made me proud that as small as support for dance is in this country there are platforms that appreciate our work. This journey has inspired me to work harder on my craft and develop myself further as an artist.

JOMBA!/KHULUMA Blog

Online KHULUMA publication for the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Archives: http://jombakhuluma.blogspot.com

Lauren Warnecke

Written by

Chicago-based dance writer and critic

JOMBA!/KHULUMA Blog

Online KHULUMA publication for the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience Archives: http://jombakhuluma.blogspot.com

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