SA take on French dance for children

Chiffonade, a dance performance specifically for toddlers and young children, is touring South Africa this month.

Created by French choreographer Michelle Dhallu of Carré Blanc Cie, Chiffonade has toured extensively in Europe and to acclaimed festivals around the globe.

As part of a new model of work for young audiences, ASSITEJ SA invited Dhallu and dancer Suzel Barbaroux for a residency at the University of Johnnesburg Arts Centre in March.

The dance piece is now given new life by acclaimed performer, Lulu Mhlangeni, who provides a unique South African take on the work.

This dance adventure will be performed at a series of venues, including the Hilton Arts Festival in KwaZulu-Natal, the National Children’s Theatre (with the support of the French Institute of South Africa) and REDfest at Redhill School in Gauteng.

This intercultural collaboration is an extension of the work that was done for Cradle of Creativity, the 19th ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival, which ASSITEJ SA hosted in Cape Town in 2017 – the first time the event has been hosted on the African continent.

Chiffonnade unfolds with fabrics as its raw materials: fabrics you can touch, crumple up, feel and fold; fabrics you can wear or disguise yourself in and which condition the way other people see you.

But Chiffonnade also evokes emancipation, with the chrysalis of a child growing and growing until they become an adult. – Citizen reporter