Beyond the Stage, Dance
Venue: PJ Olivier
Next performance: 28 June 19:00
Preview
By Konke Welaphi
The Diocesan School for Girls step graciously and vibrantly on the National Arts Festival stages, embarking with us on an emotional rollercoaster that stirs passion and warmth in a single glimpse, keeping us hooked, feeling as though we are one with the dancers. In a town full of diversity, Beyond the Stage encapsulates that and turns it into far more by including several dance variations in their performance, not only reflecting their own talent and diverseness as a school but also reflecting the roots and diversity of Makhanda itself.
Keeping us on our toes whilst on their own toes, the dancers exude joy, being allowed to be a part of something they had initially not been able to fully embrace before, due to schools being closed. However, the doors have opened, and the dancers have come waltzing and prepared to give it their all. Being given the opportunity to watch one of their rehearsals on the 24th of June, at the DSG studio, I witnessed how the performers enter their world and saw how they transformed gestures of the body to sentiments of the heart, allowing the audience to feel the story rather than just hear it.
The dancers admit to being nervous as they enter the uncharted territory of performing in front of an audience as large as the National Arts Festival. Accustomed to only performing around their loved ones and local community members, they are nervous, but there is also a large amount of excitement in witnessing how unfamiliar faces respond to their performances with fresh eyes.
Beyond the Stage truly reflects how the performance goes beyond the pliés and spirals. The work put into the crafting of the production as well as the production itself reflects how the world of dance embraces a range of genres. Similarly, there is a variety of emotion that ranges from passion to heartache with a sprinkling of funk to add a bit of fun to this world of dance.
