Rites and Rituals honours legacy works by Glasser and Nasser, 19 – 21 June, Lesedi Theatre

Moving Into Dance (MID) will present Rites and Rituals, a season that re-mounts two landmark contemporary dance works by Sylvia Glasser and Esther Nasser. Glasser’s “Stone Cast Ritual”, first performed by MID in 1994, and Nasser’s “Rite of Spring”, which premiered in 1993 with PACT Dance Company, return to the stage as powerful examples of South Africa’s contemporary dance heritage.

The June season brings a new generation of MID dancers into direct dialogue with this legacy. In rehearsal, MID Artistic Director Sunnyboy Mandla Motau works alongside former company members Muzi Shili and Thandi Hlaka, who bring first-hand performance history and choreographic insight from years of performing “Stone Cast Ritual”.

In “Stone Cast Ritual”, Glasser draws on memory, spirituality and ancestry through a ritual meditation on communal healing, foregrounding resilience and transformation. Glasser said: “I am thrilled that Esther and I will be sharing a stage with this programme. It is an incredible opportunity for the dancers to have this collaborative experience.”

Set to Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”, Nasser’s choreography confronts gender-based violence (GBV) on a global scale, recognising the daily sacrifice of women and the persistence of factionalism. The work examines polarisation at every level, using communal tension and rhythmic drive to ask how far violence can take society.

Nasser said: “The MID dancers are warriors with an energy level from I don’t know where. No drama, no tension, just focus and encouragement. It’s been different and challenging for me being back on the studio floor, yet so uplifting. Also, working with Sylvia’s company in this space, I feel so aligned to the intersection of history we each bring to this season.”

The programme also includes “Quasar-The Energy”, choreographed by Laura Cameron for students from the National School of the Arts (NSA). The work is rooted in the idea that individual sparks can ignite collective energy and shared power.

The NSA said: “Building strong relationships with professional companies is incredibly important to us, as they provide great learning opportunities for our students and potentially valuable spaces where our alumni can continue to grow and thrive after graduation. We look forward to showcasing the talent and dedication of our dancers and celebrating this opportunity to perform with such talented and experienced professionals.”

Lighting design for all three works is by Wilhelm Disbergen.

Venue: The Lesedi at Joburg Theatre

Friday, 19 June @ 11h00 – FDR

Friday, 19 June @ 19h00 – Opening

Saturday, 20 June @ 14h00 & 19h00

Sunday, 21 June @ 14h00

Tickets: R 75 – R 100

Bookings: Webtickets

For more information please contact: Moving into Dance on 073 357 8393

Additional programme information:

Choreography: Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser

Rehearsal directors: Sunnyboy Mandla Motau & Muzi Shili

Lighting Design: Wilhelm Disbergen

Costumes: Sarah Roberts

Music: Gabrielle Roth

Company: Moving Into Dance

Dancers: Lesego Dihemo, Afika Ziqubu, Sibusiso Gumede, Nandi Zulu, Lucracia Boledi, Wesly Hlongwane, Lwazi Mbatha.

Choreography: Esther Nasser in collaboration with Moving into Dance

Rehearsal director: Sunnyboy Mandla Motau

Lighting Design: Wilhelm Disbergen

Costumes: Cassandra Parsons

Music: Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” conducted by Lorin Maazel with the Cleveland Orchestra

Company: Moving Into Dance

Dancers: Lesego Dihemo, Afika Ziqubu, Sibusiso Gumede, Nandi Zulu, Lucracia Boledi, Wesly Hlongwane, Lwazi Mbatha, Shobani Mlaba, Bridget Molutsi, Nhlanhla Nkomo, Cresent Maseko, Simphiwe Mgadi, Ntokoza Malope, Nobuhle Swela.

Guest appearance: Thandi Hlaka

Choreography: Laura Cameron

Lighting Design: Wilhelm Disbergen

Costumes: Cassandra Parsons

Music: Quasar by Gidge

Company: National School of the Arts Dancers

Dancers: NSA Grade 10, 11 & 12 Dancers

Moving into Dance (MID) was founded by Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser during the turbulence of 1978 apartheid South Africa. It was an artistic response to the destructive policy of separateness. The vision was to draw on the creative capacity of the human spirit to connect, enliven, and transcend- dance as antidote to division. Over four decades later, we continue our signature of Afrofusion Dance, and we continue this legacy. We Lead. We Learn. We Include. We Return. We Lead through a professional company that has produced artists recognised through numerous awards at home and abroad. We Learn through our accredited Performing Arts Training Course and internships that have produced dancers of the highest calibre. We Include through continued social justice activism. Enable through Dance is a project that seeks to disrupt societal narratives around disability by bringing abled and so-called disabled-bodied dancers together to explore the unexplored creative potential. Importantly, we also Return. Community is core to our identities as human beings and Africans. And so we go back, give back, by sharing the gifts of this experience and learning with others. The value of this organisation in aiding social justice can never be understated. With this background, we continue to do what we do as an enabler of purpose and a dealer of hope.

In 1978, at the height of Apartheid in South Africa, Sylvia Glasser founded Moving into Dance (MID), a racially integrated dance company and training organisation, in her garage in Johannesburg. She is a cultural activist, teacher, choreographer, writer, fundraiser, and anthropologist of dance. From 1978 until 2013, she was the Director of Moving into Dance. Since 1963, Glasser has choreographed over 50 dance works. Many of her works, as well as the racially integrated nature of her company from 1978, were a form of political protest against the apartheid regime. Her deep respect for and interest in indigenous South African culture led her to pioneer ‘Afrofusion’ in 1977, a style that influenced many South African choreographers. Glasser developed ‘Edudance’, a methodology for teaching general school subjects through dance, and in 1992, she started the MID Edudance Outreach programme. In 1992, Glasser also established the MID full-time Dance Training Course.