Performances of grace, athleticism and polish

GRACE, athleticism and polish are hallmarks of performances from the Cape Dance Company (CDC), and all three are manifest in this, their collage of neo-classical and contemporary dance works for the 2017 season.

Programme A, featured on opening night, offers a satisfying combination of old and new: two stimulating works are premiered, one is having its Cape Town debut, and two are signature pieces which have become firmly established favourites with CDC’s audiences.

The company’s graduate Mthuthuzeli November shows his choreographic mettle in Sun – The Rite of Passage, and Visceral, created in 2016. Opening night began auspiciously with Sun, which is visually arresting and full of evocative tableaux. Its large cast conveys the impression of a single organic, living whole.

The ensemble’s collective performance underpins strong solos from Carmen Lotz (the Mother) and Odwa Makanda (the Son), who bring dynamism and tenderness to their roles in this odyssey of a young man finding his way towards adulthood.

November’s imaginative choreography is enhanced by earthy colours and ingenious lighting designed by Wilhelm Disbergen.

Kirsten Isenberg’s newly commissioned Hush has serious undertones beneath its surface elegance. The title denotes repression of speech and consequently, freedom of expression, a metaphor for disempowerment and its attendant apathy.

This piece is ushered in by a robust pas de deux from a crossdressed duo, executed against a backdrop on which synonyms for silence are scrawled; their vivid performance is succeeded by a more subdued pas de trois from more conventionally attired dancers, then a neatly performed female duet.

Costumes designed by Debbie Turner and Fagrie Nasiep give a nod to period dress with a touch of whimsy.

American choreographer Christopher Huggins’s When Dawn Comes has lost none of its dewy freshness, and soufflé-light execution from the dancers shows technical proficiency.

Of the five works in Programme A, November’s Visceral is undoubtedly the most eye-catching with its bold geometry and strong colours. Danced to music by CDC graduate Peter Johnson, it makes serious demands on its executants’ athleticism as it teases out the interplay of light and shadow.

The CDC’s performance of Huggins’s Boléro to the wellknown music of Ravel makes a fitting finale, simmering with lust and steaming with energy.