SIVA
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Gregory Maqoma
CHOREOGRAPHER: Luyanda Sidiya
CAST: Vuyani Dance Theatre
VENUE: The South African State Theatre: Momentum
UNTIL: Saturday
RATING: 5 stars (out of 5)
Pinto Ferreira
SIVA is an epic work of art – not in scale, but in depth. In Siva, Sidiya meticulously penetrates the plethora of thoughts surrounding the nature of human consciousness and man’s identification with its surroundings. Sidiya compellingly comments on our unremitting yearning for meaning by emphasising our self-understanding in terms of our social milieus… our significant others, our cultural tribes and our mystical relationships.
What impresses most is the maturity with which this young choreographer handles these progressive themes. Sidiya manages to effectively communicate inter-subjective principles in a transcultural fashion, not limiting the audience to an exclusively African experience.
The choreography reads as an anthology of timeless African poetry, moulding layer onto layer of expressive, ritualistic and metaphoric movement, rooted in contemporary African dance, but with an undeniable inimitability with which Sidiya sculpts all of his moments. His work emits a sense of vulnerability and compassion. It is a spiritual experience.
Siva, having been created for a much larger stage than the Momentum, proves to be even more powerful in this smaller space. The audience is absorbed into its magic and feel permeated by the dancers’ and musicians’ electrifying and explosive performances. The set design, which includes a painted dance floor surface with snake-like lines, virtually draws you into the action.
Under the directorship of Gregory Maqoma, Vuyani Dance Theatre has established itself as an indigenous paragon of cultural heritage. It speaks to a universal audience from the soul of the people about the soul of the people in a highly idiosyncratic manner. Vuyani’s professional stature, with its exquisitely trained dancers, musicians and artists and its fastidious attention to every facet of the theatrical presentation is indicative of a clear artistic vision.
It is encouraging to see a well-attended, appreciative audience and one trusts that Vuyani will continue to reach and inspire an even wider demographic of followers.