Via Injabulo

After the runaway success of Via Kanana - their collaboration with the South African artist Gregory Maqoma - the dancers of the Via Katlehong troupe wanted to entrust their next creation to two European talents: Amala Dianor and Marco da Silva Ferreira.

For thirty years, the Via Katlehong Dance company has stood out for their dynamic, subversive energy, crafting intense artistic works with a strong sociopolitical core. Their style draws largely from pantsula, a highly vigorous, hip-hop-like form of dance, which arose in South African townships during Apartheid. Their new creation, Via Injabulo, is split into two parts, each one created by a major European choreographer. Choreographed by Marco da Silva Ferreira, the first piece, førm Inførms, creates a chaotic and fantastical world, translated through bodies in multiple reflections. The second piece, Emaphakathini by Amala Dianor, explores the notion of interpersonal relations in close collaboration with the performers, to develop a hybrid language with an intense expressive power. A stunning celebration of cultural blending, the troupe stylishly marries the desire to share with the joy of dance.

Jérôme Provençal

 

Photo: © John Hogg