By Fahdia Msaka
Modern romance films have made us believe in happily ever afters. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from seeing a couple overcome adversity and end up together.
In May I Have This Dance, a young couple (Nkosinathi Mazwai and Amber Morgan) try their very best to get their own happily ever after.
The performance is a blend of contemporary dance and theatre which portrays a steamy modern love story following the relationship of a millennial couple who quickly become infatuated with one another.
The play explores the complexities of romantic relationships, especially the impact of childhood trauma and social status on the couple. Communication then, is used as a tool or weapon for isolation.
At the beginning of the play, both characters are carefree. The woman, with a quirky sense of humour, later becomes career driven, desparate for her family’s approval and relishes every achievement, which brings with it, a high social status. Her partner, while carefree at the beginning, is haunted by childhood trauma, and uses art to escape his past.
The story unfolds through time, pausing in places, to allow the audience to linger with the performers in their feelings of love, hope, disappointment, and anger.
Through a complex, but accessible narrative, and compelling performances by Mazwai and Morgan, this is a performance that manages to dance along the fine line between love and tragedy.
May I Have This Dance is showing at the Gymnasium from 25 to 28 June.
