Programme - Zürcher Theater Spektakel

South AfricaChuma SopotelaInkukhu ibeke iqandaIranAli MoiniMy Paradoxical KnivesPhilippinesEisa JocsonMacho DancerRussiaSonya LevinThe Day BeforeVIDEO-PERFORMANCE Premiere | 30 minsDance | 30 minsDance | 45 minsDance | 10 mins | no box officeAward-winning actress, dancer, puppetplayer, performer, the Capetown-basedartist Chuma Sopotela draws upon awide range of expression. In her videoperformance «The chicken has laid itseggs», which premières at the festival,she portrays the life of young womenliving in South Africa’s townships.If you saw the pole dance performanceof Eisa Jocson last year, you know howcleverly she undermines our genderspecificrole expectations and viewinghabits. In «Macho Dancer» she playswith the sexualized movement patternsof the young male strippers who workin Filipino nightclubs.South AfricaMamela NyamzaIsingqalaDance | 30 minsPitch-dark night: we hear a scream,steps and a human being sobbinguncontrollably. «I am not on stage inorder to entertain», says the dancerand choreographer Mamela Nyamza.Her creations show inhumanity andinjustice and what they trigger in us.On the occasion of «Short Pieces»,she presents her impressive solo,«Sorrow».The traditional white robe of Sufi dancerssymbolizes safety, gentleness andpoise. Draped with knives from top tobottom, the Iranian dancer, actor andperformer Ali Moini reverses the characterof this meditative dance into itsopposite: the faster he whirls around,the more threateningly the knifes pointat the audience!Sonya Levin was trained in Russia andAustria and has collaborated with variousdance companies and choreographers.In her nostalgic dance miniature«The Day Before», she effectively andhumorously demonstrates the meaningof gestures from different times andcultures. (esc)26 27