From fine art to flash mobs, PMB festival owns the streets
THE people of Pietermaritzburg will see a week-long festival of dance, music, drama and visual arts in public spaces next week.
The ReRouting Arts Festival runs from Monday, March 11 to Sunday, March 17 in and around Pietermaritzburg.
Choreographer and dancer Tegan Peacock, the organiser of the festival, said the idea was to take arts, theatre and performances to people who did not have access to theatres.
“The vast majority of people in South Africa and Africa have never grown up with that culture of going to a theatre or to an art gallery. We’re trying to get arts and theatre to those people and to get the people who would normally go to the theatre, to go into spaces in their city they maybe wouldn’t normally go to,” said Peacock.
“The plan is to end up with a cross-cultural, cross-demographic audience. It’s a new experience whether it’s because of the setting or the actual performance you’re seeing for the first time. It kind of levels the playing field between everybody because you’re all experiencing something new,” she said.
Opening night includes a collaborative performance by the Flatfoot Dance Company alongside Malagasy dancer and choreographer Julie Iarisoa and local dancer Lorin Sookool.
Peacock said the performance was new work specifically choreographed for the festival.
“It’s very much like working on an improvised collaboration framework in terms of what they’re putting together, so it’s using the expertise of all these different people from different countries, different cities, different dance styles – and seeing what they come up with when working together for the day.”
Other highlights include a flash mob performance on Church Street choreographed by Sifiso Magesh Ngcobo. It includes pupils from Russell, St Nicholas and Epworth high schools.
Ngcobo said: “I developed my own style which I called African urban movement style. You can call it contemporary dance but it’s adding a bit of urban flavour. I want people who pass by to recognise the music. That should grab their attention and make them stop and watch. People are not familiar with this kind of thing. I targeted Church Street because there’s a big black audience there and this sort of thing is unfamiliar with us in the townships so it’s sort of like taking dance to them.”
Audiences can also look forward to performances by William le Cordeur’s Mahlekahlathini Theatre Company as well as Wayne Reddiar’s and Francis Mennigke’s electroacoustic music performance. Artists Anda Dodo and Noxolo Ngidi will conduct a short discussion around their work and interests and answer questions about their exhibition, Trusting your Creative Process.
KwaZulu-Natal musician Seb Goldswain will also perform in the festival.
The ReRouting Festival takes place from March 11-17. Entry is free. For the full programme, visit the ReRouting Arts Festival’s Facebook page.