The movement maverick

Mamela Nyamza’s work refuses to follow any tune but her own. Born in Gugulethu in 1976, Nyamza says the environment of her birthplace gave her no option but to be a dancer. Although she excelled in ballet, which she has done since the age of eight, she was ridiculed by her friends and rejected by the ballet world.

After studying at the Tshwane University of Technology, where she obtained a national diploma in ballet in 2004, Nyamza studied in New York at the Alvin Ailey School of Dance.

In the biographical video following her selection as the 2011 Standard Bank Young Artist, Nyamza says being taught ballet by a black woman was a liberating experience. “She just knew my body better,” she says. “I was never told to tuck my bum. I was just told to lift up and feel light. There people dance from 10am to 10 in the evening, which actually transformed me into a strong dancer.” racial and gender discrimination in ballet. art and life there is no difference.

“Just the other day we were marching on gatekeepers like the Fleur de Cap awards, which are elitist and only keen on recognising white excellence.”

After Fairfield, Nyamza headed to a festival in Belgium where she performed De-Apart-Hate. Although she says her award is proof that opportunities for South African choreographers are growing, the bulk of the work is still overseas.

“We have become the ambassadors of our country, its prophets. You will be amazed at the number of people who have read about my work but have never met me. People are writing theses about it. In South Africa, we used to be seen as mere accompaniment for musicians but now it is the musicians accompanying us.”