blue nile to the galaxy around olodumare

Jeremy Need & Impilo Mapantsula: blue nile to the galaxy around olodumare

Thu 16. to Sat 18.10., 19.30h, TQW Hall G

The Impilo Mapantsula group specializes in pantsula, an urban dance form and subculture known for its fast footwork and its significance as a resistance practice in South Africa. This rich dance also forms the basis for "blue nile to the galaxy around olodumare", the third piece in the group’s acclaimed collaboration with the now Switzerland-based American choreographer Jeremy Nedd. In their joint search for Afro-diasporic connections, pantsula encounters the cosmic jazz music of Alice Coltrane and Bheki Mseleku. Like the two jazz legends, Nedd and Impilo Mapansula also draw inspiration for the piece from interstellar phenomena and work with improvisation as a method of instant composition. Both the metaphors of the cosmos and improvisation are understood here as Afrofuturistic means of reflecting on futurity in relation to past and present political struggles. From the birth of a galaxy to the death of a star, this work condenses space and time on stage into a dynamic and poetic evening.

Visitor note: The first ten minutes of the piece unfold in complete darkness.