Burlesque with a twist

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The cast of Neo Burlesque, opening next week. The show is choreographed by Durbans Taryn Makaab, below.

Burlesque with a tweak and much contemporary zing is what you can expect from the latest and most ambitious production by Durban’s Break Thru Dance Company.

It is an enthusiastic fusion dance troupe under the expert guidance of Taryn Makaab, who founded the company in Morningside in 2009 and is its director and principal choreographer.

The upbeat new show, titled Neo Burlesque, and featuring a 28-member cast, slots in at the iZulu Theatre at Sibaya Casino, near uMhlanga, from Thursday to Sunday next week, with performances at 8pm and a matinee scheduled for 3pm on Sunday.

The company includes Kai Pretorius, a top-eight finalist from SA’s 2010 season of So You Think You Can Dance; Rachel Abrahams, a graduate of South African Theatre Ballet; and one of African Footprint’s recent dancers, Simone Mann.

Besides the dancers, the revue will feature live vocals by Tammy Saville, Collette Johnson and Simone Mann.

Conceptualised by Makaab in collaboration with her creative team of Pretorius, Cobus Wiese and Hannah Katerere, the show follows four previous seasons by the company of productions titled Under Construction and Dollz, the first of which was staged at a church in Florida Road, where the company was founded.

Neo Burlesque marks the first time Makaab is not appearing in a revue she has choreographed for the troupe.

It also marks the company’s first outing in a large, 579-seater theatre.

“Our first show saw us turn a church into a theatre. We then upscaled to the Suncoast Casino, then The Zone, and now the iZulu Theatre,” says Makaab.

The recent Cher and Christina Aguilera film musical, Burlesque, provided her with the inspiration for the production.

“I loved the movie, but for my show I wanted to bring in more dance genres.”

She adds: “Neo Burlesque is a fun take on burlesque but with a contemporary and hip hop flavour, and also elements of neo-classical and cabaret dance.

“It is tease without the sleaze,” she says, pointing out that the production follows a loose theme of two female dancers fighting over a male dancer while also fighting for stardom by reaching for a dream.

Makaab’s goal with her young company is to start touring next year: “We have an opportunity to tour China with an African musical, and from there, hopefully, we will go all over to spread the diversity in our culture.”

Exploring new horizons is high on Makaab’s agenda, the aim of her company, she says, being to break down dance barriers, as the company’s moniker suggests.

“We are in favour of taking all dance cultures and genres and putting them under one umbrella.

“I also see Break Thru Dance Company as a place where everyone can let go of their hardships, break through to another place where everyone is equal and free – the stage.”

The company has 20 members and 10 graduate members.

“We rehearse five days a week, four to six hours daily, and although we are project-based, and dancers get paid per event or show, we are determined to keep training until we find a sponsor that recognises our work and vision.

“The dancers say that is it is a bonus in a way, as we can work and do other events during the day and late at night, and still get the necessary training required to perform with the company in big productions.”

Break Thru Dance Company is also involved with school dance programmes.

“We have four qualified teachers that go to schools and teach students aged three and older – we have 160 children dancing at Embury College and Wonderland Nursery School.”

Maakab, who has been dancing since the age of three, has classical ballet and tap training – and a load of experience.

She spent two years in New York training in George Ballanchine’s “neo classical” technique, and studied under Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem.

“I enjoy all styles of dance, but when it comes to choreography I love contemporary, ballet, jazz/musical theatre and tap,” she says.

Her early dance years saw her cleaning up at competitions and festivals, her accolades including awards for best tap, ballet and modern dancer in KwaZulu-Natal.

In 1999, she won an award for best solo performer in SA and was placed first in the SA Contemporary Competition held in Cape Town, for which she won a trip abroad to train for a few weeks at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance.

Also in 1999, Makaab won the Elizabeth Sneddon Artistry Award for her Zebra solo work.

Her first time on stage in a professional capacity was in 2001, as a member of the Cleveland Contemporary Dance Company in Ohio, US.

Career highlights since have included joining the African Footprint cast as lead dancer in 2004 and touring the world for four years.

Now living in Morningside with her fiancé, Makaab is the daughter of a former Spingbok gymnast, and her father is among SA’s top sport agents.

Choreographers who inspire her include George Ballanchine, Mia Michaels and Sonya Tayeh of the American So You Think You Can Dance, and Jon M Chu from the Step Up movies.

A dancer she greatly admires is Sylvie Guillem, whom she rates as “the best contemporary dancer in the world… her flawless technique and effortless style make dance look so easy.”

Discussing her own passion, she says: “Right now, my dancers have to be the ones inspiring me to keep this movement going, as they have such great passion and determination.”

Besides dancing and choreographing for her talented troupe, Makaab also spends time adjudicating and choreographing for independent projects… the very busy schedule being the main reason that she has decided to not appear in Neo Burlesque herself.

Tickets for Neo Burlesque cost R120 each and are available at Computicket outlets.