Via Kanana

Set up in 1992, the Via Katlehong Dance company, led by Buru Mohlabane, Vusi Mdoyi and Steven Faleni, takes its name from the township of Katlehong in the East Rand, one of the deprived neighbourhoods where South African protest culture was born. Gregory Maqoma, a recognised choreographer, wished to choreograph for the Via Katlehong, returning to the bases of Pantsula, a highly energetic dance form practiced with rubber boots. Old dancers and newcomers come together to repeat these gestures of anti-apartheid daily life that enabled an entire population to rise up. “The world is not, is no longer, the one we dreamt of. We are all victims, we are all overshadowed by fear” explains Gregory Maqoma. “This work wishes to be a breakthrough in the midst of black clouds by bringing us light and hope, by telling us that the human part is always present in us, even during the darkest periods, in order to call out to life.” All this while singing. 

Source : Maison de la Danse, program