I have just watched a frenetic performance of Giselle at Sadlers Wells by South Africa's award-winning Dada Masilo. In fact, I have never seen anything like it. Which is exactly what I said to the camera crew afterwards. Not really knowing what to expect when the performance was advertised as 'ballet meets contemporary African dance', I was surprised to see how well the two regimes could be fused together. Not a ballet shoe in sight, bare-footed and at times bare-chested I watched what can only be described as raw, earthy storytelling. When the story was gentle it was easy to see the graceful ballet movements and when the story became angry you knew because the dancing was thumping, aggressive and loud.
Dada Masilo choreographed an incredible interpretation of the traditional story for her troupe from South Africa and has toured the world with it. She now brings it to London and performs the title role herself. What a creative feat to bring the story of Giselle to modern day Africa. The story unfolds in a small African village where the villagers seem to know everyone and everyone’s business. A young girl falls in love with a wealthy man, Albrecht (Lwando Dutyulwa), who has deceived her into thinking he is a peasant, meanwhile her mother strips her and tries to force Giselle to go with Hilarion (Tshepo Zasekhaya) from the village. The story hints at attempted rape, although you never really know. Giselle manages to escape into the arms of Albrecht until Hilarion who in his jealousy reveals that the man she loves is not who she thinks he is. Giselle is heartbroken when she finds out that Albrecht whom she has given her heart to is a wealthy man and already betrothed to another and he rejects her. She is outcast by the villagers and so the audience watching her dance in her semi nakedness sees the vulnerability of the young girl alone in a violent world. She is in despair, no one can show her any compassion and so the pain of this reality kills her. The solemn dance at her burial visually hits you and speaks to those of us who know that you could physically die from heartbreak. Dada Masilo, striking with her shaved head, dances and dies in such an emotional way that you believe what you see as true.
Down in the ether the spirits known as Wilis are shaken from their being, they also have passed into the underworld with broken dreams. This is where you see graceful ballet movements. The shapes of their bodies, as they bring Giselle into their world, are ethereal and glide across the stage. The Queen of the Wilis is performed by a man (gender fluidity of the modern world) and the dance is so frenzied that you are mesmerised by the apparent voodoo imagery displayed through his whole being. The performance is mesmerising and you are unable to take your eyes off Llewellyn Mnguni as he swishes his hair, shakes his switch and hits the whip on the stage. The Wilis torment the two men who have wronged Giselle. The beat of the drums, the stamping of the feet, rising to a crescendo drive the two men to madness and ultimate death. It is a story of revenge and as Dada Masilo says in her own words “My version, on the other hand, is about not making the woman a victim”. This is so poignant coming from South African where so many women are treated badly on a daily basis. Dada Masilo is making a statement to all women of the world that they have a voice whether it is through dance or any other way that they can stand up and be noticed.
Dada Masilo has assembled some of Africa’s finest dancers and their dancing shows passion and drive, bringing the storytelling idea of their traditions and intertwining it with classical ballet to bring the stage alive. The stage was without scenery, the dancers needed nothing to detract from their presence and movements. I admired the way their angular arms and feet were changed in a flash into the pointed toes and gracefulness that we are so used to seeing.
We should not forget that the music was written by Phillip Miller who is himself a composer and sound artist from South Africa. In his score he managed to achieve the feeling of being in Africa with the thumping drum that seemed to have its own story to tell.
The whole performance was a magnificent triumph and was awarded by a standing ovation by the London crowd, who are often critical and hard to please.
Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 4/10/19
No comments:
Post a Comment