THE second weekend of the South African Women’s Arts Festival at the Playhouse will be a celebration of dance with a double bill that features the Break-Thru Dance Company’s Beyond Breaking Pointe and the Playhouse Dance Residency in Worlds Apart.
At the helm of the latter is choreographer Adele Blank whom we chatted to about the show and the dancers.
She said the play was indicative of life’s always circular journey. Worlds Apart looks at traditional women who want to enter the urbanised world, with many finding this clashes with who they are, making them feel “worlds apart”.
“The dancers came up with the theme and with it being part of commemorating Women’s Day, I thought of Gcina Mhlophe (who does the voiceover) because I have worked with her a lot. We came up with the idea of tradition vs modern and as we worked the story evolved.
“It looks at how you come into the world and girls who are now reaching out for what they see as more; the rural girls wanting to go to the city. But it also looks at the temptation they come across and the experience of that. But there is always this voice that says ‘come back’ and ‘don’t forget where you come from’,” she explained.
Blank said working with the dancers and coming up with this piece had been exciting: “The dancers range from about 21 to 35. This whole experience has been a pleasure for me,” she said.
• Worlds Apart, Beyond Breaking Pointe stage at the Playhouse Drama Theatre on August 10 and 11. R80 at Computicket or 031 369 9540.