Today Gregory Maqoma takes us on a personal tour of Soweto — his hometown. In fact it is the hometown of most of the black people we have met.  It is about a 20-minute drive east of Joburg on a good day with light traffic. Soweto has a population of about 4 million. It is the largest black township in southern Africa and is quite a bit larger than Joburg.  It is comprised of several zones. Since apartheid the streets have been paved and the homes, many built by the government, have been improved a great deal. Of course some areas are much nicer than others and there are still some squatter villages of corrugated metal shacks that are really dismal. But, there is also a brand new, very upscale mall complete with a giant soccer ball! The three new soccer stadiums built for the World Cup are all on the way to Soweto and are quite impressive.

We cover al lot of ground in three hours. First stop is to visit Gregory’s home to meet his mother and brother. He has helped them to create a lovely home with three separate buildings around a courtyard, all the modern conveniences, surrounded by a secure wall and gate. Everywhere from the wealthiest suburbs to the poorest neighborhoods people have walls often topped with razor wire or spikes to deter intruders.

In my field so rarely do we  meet the families of those we work with. Meeting Greg’s Mom is a treat. She is warm and lovely. She gives us some of her delicious corn muffins that take the place of lunch and keep us going through out tour. Greg’s younger brother has just been initiated as a sangoma, a traditional healer. He is building drums from 50 gallon metal barrels and cow skins.

Our next stop is Freedom Square built to honor the triumphant resistance movement led by the ANC and dedicated to Walter Sisulu, co-founder with Nelson Mandela of the ANC. It is an enormous plaza flanked by two incredibly long tall buildings. It was designed to give a sense of space and freedom from wherever one stands within it.  Along one side is a busy market street with many small shops as well as an open air food market with colorful piles of fruits and vegetables. This feels like a hub – it is dense with people buying food, getting haircuts, doing errands and socializing. It is Sunday so most folks are not working.

Everywhere we go along the roads people are walking or waiting in the hot sun for taxis.  One must drive or be driven to and fro as the distances are far. Most depend on crowded taxi vans to commute to work.

Our next stop is the place where Gregory and Vincent first got introduced to dance and began to practice their moves. Its’ a hostel where the migrant workers still live and where dance competitions used to be held on weekends — its’ a pretty depressing, rundown place. We stop for a drink at an open-air restaurant in the complex– a favorite among locals – that serves every part of the cow. Everything is on display—a half a cow carcass is hanging in one alcove. Through a crack in the walls we can see where they are butchering. In another shack they are preparing and cooking the entrails. There are big grills going where meat is being barbecued. Tables are set up for the diners and there is a small store where you can buy drinks.  To our ‘oh so health conscious’ American palettes this is pretty scary — meat, meat and more meat with almost nothing to accompany it but some potato salad.  The flies and filthy surfaces where everything is prepared are enough to put one off eating for a while.  But, its’ amazing what a stomach can endure—its all a matter of what you’re used to!

We also stop at a community center—each zone has one. Most have a variety of spaces for different activities like a library, sewing center, gathering space, art rooms, etc. We are lucky and find a modern dance class in progress. There are three drummers accompanying and about 20 students of all ages and levels of experience.  I am surprised by the contemporary nature of the material being taught. This center is large, one of the older ones and a bit shabby.  Some are brand new and very spiffy as are some of the schools.  There has been a lot of development in the infrastructure and yet Greg says the government is still building the same crummy matchbox houses for people.

We move on to the home of Nelson Mandela – a must see although there isn’t much to it. This is where he and Winnie first lived when they were married. It is now a museum and the neighborhood around it is jokingly called Beverly Hills. Its’ gotten pretty swanky with cafes and guesthouses.

Another very important landmark is the Hector Pieterson Museum built to commemorate the young teen who became the iconic figure of the youth struggle. He was made famous by a photograph seen around the world. In it he carries a wounded child through the streets of Soweto during the youth uprising. It is a beautiful museum and landmark that sits on a hill overlooking the township.  This was the site of the uprising and of Hector’s tragic death. There is a monument of stonework and water that includes the famous image. Also in the complex is another community center where Greg has often performed. In this place, as in Freedom Square, the weight of history is heavy. I feel the presence of struggle and grief — but also the incredible power of the multitudes that risked and lost their lives in the fight for freedom and equality. It is one thing to read about these events from afar. It is quite another to stand it the place where history was made.

We return to Joburg for the evening’s performance. The triple bill features, Lucky Kele, who was a residency artist at Bates in 2006 & 2007. From my visit with Lucky yesterday I learn that the piece grew out of an encounter Lucky had in which he came upon a young woman giving birth on the street. It was a terrifying, bloody experience. The piece is about a baby girl child and the agony and abuse she suffers in the world. The set includes a wall upstage left, painted with a chaotic abstract design in red. Upstage right is a bloodied board on which lays some sort of undecipherable creature.  A second performer who appears to be a kind of sage dressed in a robe, speaks a text most of which I cannot make out. Lucky is a tortured soul who dances out the agony. It is wrenching.

This morning we are off to Rosebank Craft Market that is housed in a large mall, like many others around the world, except that it features this fabulous craft market with handmade items from across Africa, a flea market, outdoor cafes, impromptu performances and great people watching. We have come for the crafts — two floors of jam-packed little stands with eager sellers. I decide to survey the entire market before purchasing anything — always a good idea! I also want to survey the pricing as I have no idea what one should pay for things here.  There is much to see but many vendors carry identical wares. I search for what is unique. Textiles are my weakness and several stands carry raffia mats from the Congo that are beautifully woven in earth colors with erratic geometric patterns. In the flea market section I come upon a vendor who has everything spread out so I can look through the piles without assistance. There are way too many and it all becomes a blur but finally I settle on two small ones for which I pay 350 rand or about $50.

The beadwork is amazing. Every imaginable type of jewelry and toys are made with beads and wire. Apparently this technique originated in the Congo and Malawi. I buy two funny little critters and a gorgeous necklace. Thankfully the vendors are not very pushy. It is customary to bargain a bit but I’m not fond of the process.

After a while we select a deep corner of the Europa Café for our meal of the day. How civilized this all feels. Good food and time to enjoy it. Afterward we come upon some street performers – two young men who are doing a variation on vogueing with their double-jointed shoulders. Their movements make us wince. Next are some fire-eaters who do nutty things like lighting a pot on fire and wearing it as a hat. Ouch!  The best of all are a group of traditional singers and dancers dressed in animal skins.

From the market we head back to the next performance by a young hip hop company, Konexion. Nine dancers organized into three groups perform an hour-long series of loosely choreographed sections demonstrating a variety of styles.  The breakers are pretty hot and show off some inventive variations on familiar moves. There physical feats seem anatomically impossible. One little guy has the arms of King Kong and does amazing stuff on his hands. Overall it’s more of a review than a dance but fun to see.

Then we wander back over to the Dance Factory for a performance/installation, “The Time of Small Berries” created/performed by Sello Pesa and erf [81] cultural collective (Peter Van Heerden and Andre Laubscherz). We enter the theatre and are led not to the seats but instead back out into a rear courtyard where a mutton is roasting on a spit. Sello is in a corner performing a ritual bathing from a bucket of water. He does a thorough job including teeth brushing. Then a large, noisy garage door is hand cranked open to reveal a scene (on the stage) of a table set for dinner for 10 or so — white linen, crystal glasses…the works. Chairs are set up surrounding the table for viewers. Andre invites members of the audience to take a seat at the dinner table. He commences to engage the guests and members of the audience in a discussion of culture, rape, race, politics and privilege. Some ‘diners’ appear to be planted at the table to spur the dialogue. A series of wild actions ensue around the table. Sello ties Peter up with a garden hose. A bag of corn hung from the ceiling is smashed and pours onto the floor. We hear chickens clucking away in the corner. The rooster eventually ends up under my chair.  The garage door creaks opens again and Andre goes out with an electric carver to slice off some mutton to serve the guests. Three crates of beer are brought in and passed around. Several bottles are ritually sprayed around the space and over the pile of corn. Various people rant on about politics. Sello changes his clothes mounts a pile of crates and begins giving a presidential speech. He changes his clothes and characters and repeats this several times. Peter attempts a nearly impossible task of carrying two broken bags of corn around the room. A futile effort — the corn spills out everywhere. Sello pees in a pail and I cannot watch what he does with it. This type of performance art is not my cup of tee.

Eventually the scene dissolves and the crowds wander out around the roasting lamb to eat,  drink beer, socialize and discuss the piece.What seems evident is that “The Time of Small Berries” is speaking to what happened to the traditions of the indigenous people under colonialism.

In the talk the previous day Peter van Heerden (a member of erf) talked about “the body as live art inscribed by life’s experiences.” Their interest in this work is to explore what it means to be African in this moment in South Africa and how to assimilate and move forward.

This is the big question on everyone’s mind — how to move forward. In one way or another nearly everyone is grappling with this issue. Seventeen years into a young democracy with the weight of such a tragic and difficult history South Africans of all backgrounds are seeking a way forward to peace, equality and prosperity for all. Many inequities remain in play. Our visit to Soweto (coming up) helps us Americans to fill out the picture.

I must admit this is one of the most enjoyable trips to see work I can remember. The weather is mostly perfect with a thunderstorm here and there. Our four-star guesthouse is totally charming and comfortable with many lovely little touches like the soothing sound of fountains, one by the front door and one spilling into the pool near the dining room. Interesting birds come and go. The food is good everywhere we go and so is the wine! Our schedule is relaxed and reasonable allowing time to keep up on email, consider the work we are seeing, write this blog, and get a sense of where we are.

This morning I finally take a two-hour walk all around our neighborhood of Melville with my camera. It feels great to stretch my legs as I have done way too much sitting these last few days. In Joburg everyone drives everywhere as there is no good public transport and it’s a big city. Melville is a charming neighborhood. Mature trees and plantings make such a difference in how a place feels. There are flowering shrubs everywhere and beautiful trees, palms and cactus. Huge lavender shrubs decorate many yards – I wish they would grow like this in Maine!  Homes are hidden behind high walls with some sort of sharply edged deterrent atop.  Security signs abound.  Several times I am startled by charging, barking dogs. Fortunately they are behind metal gates that enclose every driveway.

Melville is on a hill that looks across a low area to the city proper.  One can see the skyline with the Top of Africa spindle that one can go up. There is little traffic but I must keep remembering which way to look when crossing as they drive on the left here. I pass several churches, two schools, and come upon a marvelous antique shop that is set up mostly out of doors. The yard is a delightful series of displays arranged with an artist’s sensibility. Humor and folly abound. This little stop makes my day and I go on my way in a state of delight.

Tonight is the big gala held at the University of Johannesburg Theatre. First National Bank, the Festival’s biggest sponsor, really puts on the dog. There is a huge tent set up in the parking lot decorated to the nines with a full bar and several food stations. Leather couches (very popular here), tables and chairs have been brought in and arranged to encourage schmoozing.  Champagne is flowing freely before and after the show. Sadly most of the seating is soaking wet as there was another terrific thunderstorm this afternoon—following my walk fortunately.

The concert features highlights from past festivals and is clearly programmed to be accessible and entertaining and to please the sponsors. It opens with a well-crafted early group work by Gregory Maqoma entitled, “Black Men…White Balls” — a provocative title for a piece in which four men (and one girl) innocently dance with white soccer balls.

Also on the program is Vincent Mantsoe’s solo from 1993, “Gula Matari,” an enchanting piece in which Vincent becomes a bird, song and all. There is truly no one else like him – he is a force of nature! This piece won several awards and launched Vincent’s career as an international sensation.

The concert ends with a spicy group work, “Unraveling Carmen,” choreographed and featuring by Dada Masilo set, of course, to Bizet’s “Carmen.”  Dada is a sensation, when she is on stage no one else matters. At 24 she seems destined for a great career. I am excited to find a strong woman artist amongst all these men and have invited her to Bates as a residency artist in 2011. Hopefully she won’t get too busy to come.

Uncharacteristically, I hang around for the party afterward and finally get to talk with Gregory. We commiserate about the stresses of running a festival and trying to keep everyone happy. We also reminisce about his recent U.S. tour of “Beautiful Me” which opened at Bates where it was first developed.  Greg gives me the lowdown on some of the politics and players in the Joburg arts scene. He also fills me in on his latest projects and introduces me to his Belgium colleagues for whom he curates the biannual AfroVibes Festival taking place next year in three English cities.

To my great surprise my colleague, Jodee Nimerichter from ADF has arrived and we visit over a glass of wine. No one told either of us that the other was attending but we are delighted to have a chance to talk shop. Jodee is also staying at our guesthouse so she joins our little gang.

Today’s talk is with Musa Hlatshwayo and Acty Tang. There are 20 or more artists present for a lively discussion.  Musa talks about the importance of process over product. To develop the work he asked his dancers to do individual research.  The focus of their examination has been on the dominant patriarchal system that restricts and oppresses women.  Interestingly some version of this theme seems to run through many of the works we are seeing.  Musa described the process as “a clearly confused journey.” Having seen the work I would agree. The ideas discussed were not clearly evident to me in the performance. But th opening olo as I said earlier was quite powerful. With a little prodding Musa’s student dancers speak up.  Most interesting are their experiences of the creative process and the discovery of how dance could convey complex intellectual constructs. This way of working is opening them to new worlds. Even if they go on to become technologists and doctors they have a fire in their bellies now for dance.

Next we went to lunch with Nelisiwe  Xaba to learn more about her current work and investigate the possibility of bringing her to the U.S. Both Marge and I had seen Neli’s duet with Kettly Noel in Tunis two years ago and were completely intrigued. There are proportionately so few women making work in Africa. This is something I want to dig into more. Across Africa it seems that family and social mores strongly dictate professional pursuits and for both men and women dance is not encouraged as a career path. Time and time again I have heard dancers talk about their struggle with parents who did not want them to pursue dance. Not so different from the states in this respect! But clearly the pressure is stronger on women to be mothers and home keepers. Artistic ambition is misunderstood and is frowned upon.

For lunch we went for the first time across Fitzgerald Square, a large open plaza bordered by Museum Africa.  Finally with camera in hand I began to document — old women with buckets on heads and young women with babies strapped on back, boys and men of all ages in soccer T-shirts. Interesting murals and graffiti.

The World Cup is coming in 94 days. Everyone is counting down and is incredibly proud that South Africa was chosen to be the site for this major sports event.  The stadiums have been completed but there is road construction everywhere and folks don’t seem too optimistic that all will be ready in time for the anticipated crowds.  Crime has apparently been reduced dramatically in the last few months with added police and diligence in preparation for games.  Signs everyway declare Joburg a world-class city. Hopes are high that the World Cup will really put Joburg on the global map and attract tourism and
investment. I get the sense that everyone is being cautious so that nothing bad happens before June. People encourage us to be escorted arond and not to walk downtown alone.

This afternoon a visit with Gregory Maqoma was planned but as the Festival Curator he is madly busy trying to keep all the artists happy, oversee production rehearsals and stay on top of all the performances. Boy do I know what he is dealing with! No matter, Greg is taking us on a personal tour of Soweto on Monday (our one day off) and we will have lots of car time to catch up.

The performance this evening is a triple bill featuring works by PJ Sabbagha, Moving Into Dance Mophatong, and Acty Tang held in the Barney Simon Theatre, small black box space in the Market Theatre. I had already had a chance to meet and visit with PJ who happens to be friendly with my Bates pal, Michael Foley. The dance world is really so small! Of the three works, PJ’s “Deep Night” stands out. A compelling 20-minute excerpt of a longer work, “Deep Night” deals with man’s desperate desire to belong and be loved. It draws its impulse from the ‘witching hour’ of night when desires become all consuming.  A video of dark city streets is projected throughout the work on the back wall and creates ambience without pulling one’s eye and competing with the dancing.  The two women, Dada Masilo and Lulu Mlangeni are absolutely fabulous –gutsy, fierce, sexy, provocative dancing. PJ makes clever use of a leaf blower to reveal the legs and panties beneath the flimsy slips worn by the women. Further along newspapers are blown onto the nearly naked body of Dada and later still shredded newsprint is blown in a large quantity to transform the stage space. “Deep Night” left Marge and I wanting to see more and eager to consider a U.S. tour depending on how the full work plays out.

Also on the program is “Dark City,” a powerful work by an entirely new group of dancers from Moving Into Dance, one of the most established companies in Joburg.  Choreographed by Themba Mbuli the piece was inspired by Constitution Hill (formerly Old Fort Prison) and created to honor ex-political prisoners who devoted their lives to freedom.  The piece conveys the horrors of imprisonment under apartheid. Props included hand and ankle chains that were manipulated into hang ropes. Set to a rhythmic score the choreography uses unison movement to create powerful images of struggle and unity.

Acty Tang, originally from Hong Kong, created a fanciful solo entitled, “Child” that completed the program.

At each program I am missing reading the artist’s bios in the programs. There are none.  This is fine if I already know the artist, but when I don’t, I feel less informed that I would like to be. I realize it is a big project to collect and edit all these bios but I feel it is somewhat disrespectful of the artists and leaves the audience without very helpful and intersting information. Something to work on for the future.

After rushing to catch the tail end of breakfast I endeavor to catch up the never-ending task of email. Then we are out the door for today’s artist talk with Vincent and Neli. We will see Neli’s show tonight. Its kind of nice to have some of the talks occur before we see the work and some afterward. This allows us to see some of the work without any background info and take our best guess as to the intent. But there is not doubt in my mind that hearing firsthand from the artists about their inspiration, intent and developmental process is hugely informative.  The conversations always wander into the political territory that constraints the process of making but also often demands inspired innovations. It is painful and so familiar to listen to the artists express their frustration about the limited support, lack of understanding and appreciation for what they do, and the absurd strings attached to most of the money they do receive. It is in some ways reminiscent of what we went through in the 80’s. The funders don’t understand or appreciate the work and require artists to define and categorize their work in outdated, inaccurate and arbitrarily confining boxes.

So … there are about 20 African artists in the room of all ages from Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and South Africa – all are attending workshops or performing as part of Dance Umbrella. The conversation covers a lot of ground but keeps coming back inevitably to politics as I said. The attention to race is an omnipresent factor mostly on the part of European audience members. And yet we keep hearing this issue brought up by artists who are also grappling, in a totally different way, with the issue of what it means to be Africa in the newly established democratic South Africa.  Regarding Vincent’s work, that features a mixed race cast, the persistent question is why is Vincent using white dancers? How/why does that change the viewers understanding of the work and how they respond?

Vincent expresses his utter frustration and annoyance with this preoccupation with race. His goal is to achieve a “sharing” among the collaborators/dancers that transcends race and is about connecting to the common spiritual ground that motivates his work.  As an artist who grew up I Soweto among a family of sangomas, now lives now in France and works around the globe, Vincent speaks of South Africa as his true and spiritual home and where he finds inspiration. His work, “San” began when he found a book about the San people in an airport and become mesmerized by their culture, their journey and finally how their nomadic tradition was destroyed. He describes this work as the first where he consciously took on a political theme.

Neli rages a bit, and rightly so, about how the Europeans have all the money and thus control over who gets supported and how. She describes the difficulty of finding support to make work at home in Africa and of finding paying audiences to appreciate it. Neli talks about there being no way to “play” at home as there is little access to studio space or support for development. She, like others, are dependent on support from Europe to continue their work. She expresses frustration that this cycle keeps being perpetuated. Some South Africa artists acknowledge that Dance Umbrella is the only annual showcase for contemporary dance in the country especially for younger artists. For those emerging artists who have not yet gained international attention, DU is likely the only opportunity to perform their work all year.

This is serious! Because First National Bank –the primary sponsor of Dance Umbrella for most of its 22 years, has announced that it will terminate support after this season. The future of the festival is in doubt. DU is working hard to find other funders to allow them to continue their vital role in fostering the still nascent dance scene here, but clearly everyone is worried. Now that DU has gained the interest of a widely diverse and committed the support is more critical and deserved than ever.  It is only a slight consolation to note the existence of Dance Factory, the new Goethe on Main center, Moving Into Dance and other organizations who are also fulfilling a vital role supporting the local dance community.

Meanwhile, we American stand by with earnest concern and deep interest yet feeling completely unable to offer the kind of support that is so desperately needed and so often comes from Europe.  For the U.S., the most powerful and wealthiest nation in the world (but for how much longer?), to care so little for the arts at home and abroad is an embarrassment to say the least. We who have made dance our life, recognize and respect the remarkable contemporary work being created in Africa and elsewhere but have little means to significantly contribute.  This was the main impetus behind the creation of The African Contemporary Arts Consortium (of which BDF is a founding member. For more info see: http://www.batesdancefestival.org/african.php) – to bring together passionate, experienced U.S producers to deepen our knowledge and find equitable means to engage with and support artists working across the continent. Our hope is to make a convincing argument on behalf of this work and leverage some small amount of support.

I digress—back to our conversation with the artists. While Vincent sees his work as very deeply rooted in his personal/cultural traditions, Neli considers her work to be more globally focused. After all she note, race is still a universal issue around the world. Vincent says that through his work and teaching he attempts to break down barriers and connect people to spirituality. Yet, he often finds that westerners do not understand this as the basis of his work.

An interesting side note—both Neli and Vincent began dancing as teenagers by mimicking Michael Jackson videos. This story can be heard around the world and is a testament to the power of the global media and to Jackson’s enormous influence on dance. Across Africa young people very often do not have access to training or professional performances/artists/techers. Watching youtube is often their only source of information about dance.

Moving on to our evening activities—we went first to Goethe on Main, a brand new arts complex developed by the Goethe Institute. This is a remarkably hip and gorgeously renovated facility located downtown.  Multimedia artist, William Kentridge has his studio here. The complex includes a flexible performances space, snazzy café and restaurant, a bookstore, and studios for other contemporary artists/designers.  After a quick tour we attended a performance by Musa Hlatshwayo.

Musa is a theater artist, choreographer and teacher trained at the University in Durban. His piece, “Moses” deals with social fragmentation that he articulates through the idea of a dream state. “Moses” features the debut of four of his terrific students from Durban, all of whom are majoring in other subjects like technology and biomedical science. Musa begins the piece with a powerful spoken word and movement solo. His flavor, intensity and intelligence reminded me of Bamuthi and I want to introduce them.  The piece continued with a duet by the young men followed by solos with the women and a long group section of intense dancing in and around an increasingly complex landscape of barriers created with cautions tape that Musa continually strings across and through the space. By the end the space is entirely carved up with the dancers deftly slipping in and out of many confined areas. The hour-long work featured a loud, cacophonous sound score, beautiful projections of individual dancers, army boots worn, hung in the space and worn around the neck finally, flashlights, shiny, leathery costumes and a repetitive series of slightly violent, angst ridden movement phrases. At the talk the next day we learned that the company had no advance information about the small performance space and had to make significant adaptations to their setup which compromised the integration of the projections.

As we attempt to leave for the Market Theatre we find our brand new little car has a dead battery. Not a minute passes before our driver has recruited someone to push us and jump start the engine. They are resourceful as hell! We arrive in time for Nelisiwe Xaba’s remarkable piece, “Black! …White?” An elaborate production featuring three performers, multiple movable set pieces including a toy lamb, projected animation of running bugs, beautiful fabric panels with wearable built-in costumes pieces, many costume changes and brilliant, idiosyncratic characterizations and mime. This is an exceptionally imaginative creation that amuses and delights. One cannot help but laugh out loud at the opening section — a quirky, neurotic female character fastidiously arranging and rearranging every detail of the set only to be undone by two devilish destroyers. The most inventive and amazing scene occur midway when Neli and her male counterpoint, both dressed in black and white lycra bodysuits, act out a pantomime while laying on the floor. The third performer, masked in black, defines their environment via masking tape. The whole scene is projected onto the hanging panels to exquisite effect. This scene is somewhat akin to Japanese Bunraku puppetry with the eye draws to the projections not to the live action on the floor.
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