Tickets
Duration: 60 minutes
Language: none, with the exception of one song that is sung
Sensory notes: loud noises and sounds, shouting
Content notes: none
3.11.
Following the performance post-performance talk with Anna Chiedza Spörri and Mamela Nyamza.
«Herd» denotes a social group and a herd of animals and reflects the tension between belonging and heteronomy. In «THE HERD/ LESS», by the South African choreographer Mamela Nyamza, power emerges through rituals, repetition and a collective moving in harmony. The audience gains a vivid sense of how cultural and social forces shape individuals, and how fragile the balance between community and self-determination often is.
| Dampfzentrale: Mamela Nyamza is currently receiving numerous awards for her body of work that interweaves traumatic themes such as rape, the Soweto uprisings and other experiences of racist and gender-based violence. Delicate yet immensely powerful, graceful and dreamlike in their visual language, her works unfold on stage with a captivating presence. «THE HERD/LESS» reveals how a social group can both sustain and consume humans. We experience, almost physically, a longing for belonging – and the price it can sometimes cost. This work simply belongs to «Mensch!». |
The texts for this year’s Tanz in Bern draw from two sources: firstly, what the artists themselves write about their productions, and secondly, why each performance was curated for the festival with the theme of «Mensch!».
Credits
Creator, Choreographer & Director: Mamela Nyamza
Co-Production: Lalanbik La Reunion, Venice Biennale, Dance Umbrella UK
Lighting Design: Thabo Pule
Set Concept: Mamela Nyamza; and Set-Design: Karabo Legoabe
Costume: Mamela Nyamza, Xolani Mawande & Shiba Sopotela
Rehearsal Manager: Kirsty Ndawo
Dancer Artists: Khaya Ndlovu, Kirsty Ndawo, Thamsanqa Tshabalala, Zandile Constable, Thandiwe Mqokeli, Nonofo Olekeng, Sinazo Bokolo, Dineo Mapoma, Mbali Brandt, Thabang Mojapelo, Thato Molusi
