Black bodies sway on stage, a crown of rope connected to the rafters appears like a noose around their necks.
A deep rumble, waves of white noise and projections of clouds fill the space.
In this dystopian landscape, mined raw, those left behind by humanity, battle for Earth's resources.
Standard Bank's young artist winner for dance, Thamsanqa Majela, creates an experience that creeps into the psych, leading the audience into a world of animalistic instinct in his new production Don’t Let the Sun Set on You Here which opened at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda at the weekend.
Dance is an art form that allows audiences to create their own meaning. With no formal script our minds connect the dots left by what we see, hear or feel.
A rocket launches into space — dancers Sibonelo Mchunu, Tawanda Mandara and Mahmoud Mbega awaken and slowly begin to unravel from their ropes.
Don’t Let the Sun Set on You Here is a journey guided by the jembe drum, rhythmic African beats clash with the harsh cracking of ... ice? bones?
It is jarring and hypnotic.
A blend of contemporary dance with deep African roots, performers bend and contort into animals — the snake, the bull, the chameleon — spines undulating with inhuman flexibility.
A frenzy of movement, battles for power, shaking, sweating bodies and sound crash into the finale.
Exhausted we are released back into reality, into the emptiness of the barren landscape once more.
Speaking to Majela the next day, he was excited to have opened the show after five weeks of rehearsal.
“I'm happy we have finally had our first performance in Makhanda.
“Now it's just about watching [the production] grow, transform and morph within the parameters of its creation.
“I'm excited to see how this, and how the performers will grow within their interpretations of the work.
“Conceptually, this has been in my head for years. Ten years ago I read a poem by Francis Slater. I always wanted to do something with it, and to insert it into a show. I've been researching ancient African knowledge about Egypt.”
On stage, small pyramids light up, performers slide them across the stage, touching their sides gently as they move through them.
“I'm happy we have finally had our first performance in Makhanda. Now it's just about watching [the production] grow, transform and morph within the parameters of its creation. I'm excited to see how this, and how the performers will grow within their interpretations of the work."
“I've been looking at the physical body through animals. If you break it down to how the spine moves or how limbs move, tapping into a blend of the human and animal body — we were playing with how to tell a story, how they morph and become human.
“My message is don't miss things, especially looking at African knowledge. For us as Africans and black people, we've got so much knowledge and richness.
“I am moving a lot into the hypnosis performance experience. I always have a soundscape that is really meditative. I used a recording from NASA of Saturn.
“I wanted to have African rhythms on top of that.
“What drew me to dance when I was younger was the beat of the drum. I remember doing community theatre at school. I could hear people dancing in the other room, and that's where I wanted to be.
“Dance is like being in a different space, in a different world.”
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