“MID Fluffing their Feathers”

[Review of “Feathers” performed as part of the 969 Festival]

It is very difficult to put into words an art form that exists because of its ability to say so much more than words ever could. It is intrinsically based in raw expression. As Modern dance pioneer Martha Graham so simply said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”

“Feathers” is a series of dance pieces choreographed and performed by members of Moving into Dance Mophantong. MID has a well established history; having been founded in 1978 by Sylvia Glasser it was one of the first multi-racial training dance companies in South Africa. The company has gracefully spread its wings across the globe as an internationally acclaimed force in dance theatre.

Even with evidently masculine bodies “Feathers’” dancers are allowed, just for a little while, to be human before they must be men. Their vulnerability oozes through their gentle fluidity of movement. They are allowed to touch and hold and love. They are allowed to feel and feel deeply and be weak and get mad. They are allowed to sense before they dance. They are allowed to fight against the over-whelming burden of having to subscribe to the masculine expectancies of our society paralleled with the inherent issues faced by people of colour. They are allowed to fly.

Lyrical. Powerful. Ephemeral. Eugene Mashiane opens the stage with a statement in red. Through a compelling performance I was unable to blink for fear of missing a beautiful yet fleeting moment as he expresses a story of the de-humanisation of a capitalist society. But what came next I never saw coming. Winners of the Kurt Jooss Choreography Award in 2016, Oscar Buthelezi and Muzi Shili stole the show. This duet follows a journey and its obstacles of two men but, the entire audience became a part of it. Their synergy was almost tangible as they glided around the stage in bursts of joy, battle and support. They were quite the show-offs with clever tricks and extravagant lifts that enticed the audience. Following was Sunnyboy Motau’s piece “My Black is Black.” Black coat in hand, him and his prop became one, him trusting it and it trusting him.

And finally all the dancers joined on stage in “Fight, Flight, Feathers, F***ers.”An extended version of this was originally commissioned by Dance Umbrella in 2015. The costuming was very interesting as all the men were suited but wore eerie, rubbery, black wolf masks thus juxta-positioning the sophisticated man with creature. There were moments of adrenaline rush and striking imagery but over-all it lacked momentum and felt as if a little less would have been more.

The performers of “Feathers” proved to be no less than what we have come to expect from MID with beautifully sculpted bodies evidencing the amount of hard work and sheer commitment that goes into their passion. With technique quintessential of the Afro-fusion style pioneered by African Dance Companies it culminates African ritual, music and traditional dance styles with contemporary Western dance forms into one refreshingly unique concoction not seen anywhere else in the world.

I look forward to seeing what is in store for MID. I hope to see them breaking more boundaries in this field, breathing new life into style and creating more ground breaking work that the audience not only gasps at in awe but that leaves them with filled minds, because dance has the ability to be so craft-fully utilized to speak the unspeakable and feel the things we are too scared to feel in this fragile New South Africa.

All I have left to say is that I’d love to see what the MID ladies can do.

Find out more about the festival at: https://www.wits.ac.za/witstheatre/whats-on/969-festival/

Find out more about MID at: http://www.midance.co.za/

#review #theatre #MID #dance #SouthAfrica