From March to June 2019, contemporary dance from Flanders will hit South African stages. Les ballets C de la B, GRIP and Siamese Cie, three of Flanders’ leading dance companies, showcase their work at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, KKNK Oudtshoorn and the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.
Contemporary dance from Flanders has a large international resonance. The 1980’s saw the explosion of a radical and creative dance scene in Flanders, which would earn Brussels the title of contemporary dance capital of Europe.
A new generation of choreographers redefined the concept of dance, developing a fresh approach towards dance and leaving a personal imprint which broke traditional barriers and conceptions, both at home and abroad. Dance in Flanders has developed many perspectives since then. Choreographers no longer come exclusively from Flanders or Brussels, and international influences and collaborations have added their own eclectic interpretations to the mix. Prominent South African choreographers Dada Masilo, Gregory Maqoma, George Khumalo and Moya Michael are amongst those who have received training and worked in Brussels. What does remain is the independent and unique spirit of those earlier days, transformed and continuously evolving.
South African audiences can experience this for themselves when three of Flanders’ most acclaimed dance companies bring their shows to these shores, showcasing the rich and vibrant artistic talent of the dance community in Flanders, and engaging audiences in challenging and thought-provoking ways.
RULE OF THREE by GRIP | Jan Martens in collaboration with NAH, opens the Flemish Season at the Market Theatre on Saturday 16 March 2019.
In Rule of Three, Flemish choreographer Jan Martens blends storytelling with live music to create a night-club vibe combined with the feeling of getting lost in the pages of a book. The result is a stunning dance piece that is loud, bright and brilliant. A succession of dance tableaux unfolds with surprises lurking at every corner. Unrelated short scenes replicate the profusion of information to which we are constantly subjected.
American drummer and producer, NAH, provides the score throughout, mixing live and programmed drums with manipulated sounds. Music, lights and movement interact and overlap in a superb experimental mix.
The layering of rhythm, light and music creates a variety of landscapes which may as easily exude nonchalance as set bodies alight. Rule of Three is rebellious and fiery, it unleashes an untamed meditation on the contrasts of our era: numbness and explosion, the decided upon and the intuitive, the heart and the mind.
Dancers: Steven Michel, Courtney Robertson, Daniel Mussett
Live music by NAH
https://vimeo.com/243145059
African première:
Sat 16 March 2019 at 20h15, Market Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: Webtickets R120 / R100 (block booking 10+) / R70 (students & pensioners)
Age restriction: 16+ (full nudity)
Further performances: Thu 21 March 2019 at 16h00 & Fri 22 March at 12h00, Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, Oudtshoorn
Tickets: R105 at Computicket, or R120 at the door
In May-June two other productions will perform in South Africa:
Requiem pour L. by les ballets C de la B | Fabrizio Cassol, Alain Platel
Tue 28 & Wed 29 May, Market Theatre, Johannesburg / Tue 4 & Wed 5 June, Baxter Theatre, Cape Town
(B) by Siamese Cie | Koen Augustijnen & Rosalba Torres Guerrero
Fri 31 May & Sat 1 June, Market Theatre, Johannesburg / Fri 7 & Sat 8 June, Baxter Theatre, Cape Town
Info: General Representation of the Government of Flanders - pretoria@flanders.org.za - 012 460 0781