Gregory Maqoma

Standing for hope against darkness, Vuyani Dance Theatre’s rousing show transfixes with choreography of rhythmic dexterity and ecstatic intensity to the sound of a South African a cappella quartet.

Celebrated choreographer and dancer Gregory Maqoma embodies professional mourner Toloki – a character inspired by the protagonist of Ways of Dying and Cion, novels by South African author Zakes Mda. Joined by eight gifted performers from Vuyani Dance Theatre, the company confronts a universe in which greed, power and religion lead so often to the normalisation of death and loss. The physical lament unfolds to Ravel’s Bolero, reinterpreted here through percussion and voice – the stirring harmonies sung live by four vocalists .

Maqoma, who sees art as a commentary on how human beings treat each other, created this soaring piece as a response to recent political events in his own country and globally. He performs here as part of Dance Umbrella 2019, having choreographed Idris Elba and Kwame Kwei-Armah’s Tree.