DANCE: Savour
Review by JOY HINYIKIWILE
A thick ray of light illuminates the stage, and a young girl, wearing a sundress and holding a flower, walks on stage. She is followed by a crew of hard-breathing dancers who form a semi-circle around her.
As a man dances on stage, a voice echoes through the room, complaining about the current state of the world. But soon another man enters, his dance accompanied by another voice, one more optimistic. Savour, performed by the Jozi Youth Dance Company, immediately promises to push boundaries and challenge our thinking.
The dance production is eclectic, its dancers moving between contemporary, ballet and African dance. It pushes the boundaries of modesty and interracial relationships. As a society, how accepting are we of interracial couples? Are people comfortable with seeing white women dancing intimately with black men? How about seeing young people imitating sexual acts – do we accept that?
The production also seems to challenge our expectations about who should dance, featuring a diverse crew of dancers of different races, sizes, and even flexibilities – surely a rare sight in most professional dance crews. The production’s approach is subtle enough to keep us entertained, although it may need an age restriction for young viewers.
