Anna Cifani
28 September 2007
Windhoek — A highly acclaimed South African dance theatre group, Umthombi, will stage a show next Wednesday in the Boiler Theatre at the Katutura Community Arts Centre, the Franco-Namibia Cultural Centre has announced.
Umthombi (the male adolescent) is a dance theatre duet that performs a danced narrative of a young black boy who is directed by the quest of his traditional identity and his manhood. He follows the footsteps and shadows of those that are considered to be 'man'.
His path is marked by rites of passage that his society has laid for him to go through in order to become a man. He learns responsibility and accountability that he applies as his means of survival during his toils in the pastures.
He matures by the day as he journeys into his own personal endeavours. What lies ahead is mystery of the tradition he is yet to face.
Aesthetically, the work aims to explore a fusion of creative movement, contemporary dance, sound, music and 'natures' voice in an attempt to explore the future of a uniquely African aesthetic in story telling.
Performance History
2004: Musa Hlatshwayo was awarded the KZN Young Choreographers' Commission by the Centre for Creative Arts and Jomba 2004! And creating new work for Jomba! Contemporary Dance Festival. Umthombi was therefore created and premiered at the Elizabethe Sneddon Theatre in Durban (South Africa) in 2004.
2005: Performed in Sziget Arts Festival commissioned by Cultural Islands Pty in Budapest (Hungary).
Performed with Abakhwetha as a double bill negotiating manhood and traditional identity (funded by the National Arts Council of SA) in Pieter Scholtz's Open Air Theatre in Durban (South Africa).
2006: Represented South Africa in AFAA's Danse l'Afrique Danse in Paris.
Company Structure
Mhayise Productions is artistically directed by Musa Hlatshwayo and managed by Sicelo Dlamini.
"As a black youth owned company we are mostly fond of providing work experience and employment opportunities to the black youth within the field of performance arts, arts administration and arts education. Most of our short-term contracted staff is largely outsourced from institutions like the University of KwaZulu Natal, the Durban Institute of Technology, Movie Tech Film College, the Cato Manor Dance Development Dance project, The Flatfoot Dance Company, Flatfoot's student company and others. Affirmative action and black economic empowerment are some of our strong holds."
Company Profile
Mhayise Productions is a project-based performing arts Production Company based in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. The company was established in 2002 and officially (re)launched in 2004. The company is artistically directed by Musa Hlatshwayo and managed by Sicelo Dlamini with part time/temporally contracted employees for specific projects. To date, the company has successfully launched itself both on the national and international dance arena, with its groundbreaking artistic work. Mhayise Productions is a registered member of the KZN Dance Link.
Current Projects
As 2005's recipient of the Phillip Stein Young Choreographers' Award for Johannesburg Dance Umbrella 2006 Mhayise Productions presented a work-in-progress solo project for the Johannesburg Dance Umbrella in March 2006 entitled " Upotiyane?" This project is in Phase 2, which will be presented at this year's Jomba Contemporary Dance Experience.
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