Mother’s absence hits home in ‘iKhaya’
THE Steve Biko Foundation, in partnership with Indoni Dance Arts & Leadership Academy, wowed audiences on Saturday when it performed iKhaya
(Home), a theatrical dance and musical performance showcasing the void left by growing up without a sense of home.
Inspired by the true story of award-winning choreographer, Sbonakaliso Ndaba, iKhaya is a compelling new work on generations who have been raised without a sense of belonging.
Ndaba said when her mother died she was shocked into realising her home had lost its heart and her family soon fell apart. Her father, a man “whose mere existence created waves of movement around him”, lost his sense of purpose. It is this reality that iKhaya aims to capture.
The group comprises 19 dancers who are based in Cape Town townships. Manager Jennifer van Papendorp said iKhaya showcased the sense of emptiness and the resulting void in the absence of a mother.
“It deals with the battles of home told in African contemporary dance. It’s an emotional story and we always get standing ovations wherever we perform,” she said.
Ndaba said it was a thrilling experience to perform at the Steve Biko Centre.
“I have been wanting to take my work there for a long time, it is a dream come true. We are quite political and aware of Steve Biko– the icon. It was amazing to be surrounded by history,” she said.
Senior programme manager at the Steve Biko Foundation, Bokang Pooe, described the performance as an “organic quality music and dance performance”.