KEMET- Black Lands/ Alkamal Walkamal Almutlaq- Completeness and Absolute Wholeness, Dance and Physical Theatre
Review
By Nicole Palmer
“It’s my story, it’s my digest of frustration, it’s my confusion within my own culture” is what Standard Bank Young Artist Asanda Ruda said when asked what message she was trying to convey through the captivating dance which saw her leave her heart on the stage.
Ruda started off her performance with a solo dance through which she commanded the attention of her territory. The show started with a dark, solemn room, with only one spotlight that focused on her as she moved across the dancefloor with vigour which evolved to a force that was difficult to keep up with. It felt like watching a story unfold in a dream without any narration. It was expressive and a little chaotic.
Although the dance felt a little dark and aggressive, it was something different, something I have not seen before, that is how I would describe KEMET.
Watching her moves you can feel so emotive as you try to make sense of what it is she is trying to say. She was trying to tell a story but it the message was rather confusing although you could feel it was heavy. However, after my interview with her it became somewhat understandable.
“It’s my rejection of my culture and accepting it also, but it extends itself into all forms, to everybody,” she said.
“I am a traditional person, we are spiritual people as black people, specifically… I call it a privilege to travel the world internationally. You actually come to appreciate that essence of us being cultural people and allowing ourselves to speak to our spiritual selves and take care of that relationship between the spirit, the afterlife, in connection to our culture and preserve it. It’s a celebration,” she said.
The dance felt like something you would see at a traditional ceremony with your family. For instance, an experience you would only feel comfortable sharing with people who are close to you, but she called it cultural preservation.
The second half of the show was a group performance, and what began as an explosion of movement unfolded into a newfound fluidity of motion.
If you were one of the individuals who left in the middle of the performance, you truly missed out in the end. The dancers, Sinazo Bokolo-Bruns, Thandiwe Mqokeli, along with Ruda moved in sync and created a mystical and enchanting experience for their audience and truly went out having left a sterling, captivating performance.
