So I was sitting here struggling with ideas on what to write about, fiddling around on the internet. But the beauty of this job and of being at the Baxter is that you are guaranteed to find someone, somewhere in the building doing incredible work and expressing not only what they feel but what you feel as well.
You just have to get on your feet and find them.
So first I wandered into the Concert Hall to find a troupe of seven or eight marimba players sitting on the stage, slowly working out and developing complex polyryhthms and tones to beguil and intrigue the listener, and to banish once and for all the thought that this African music and African instruments cannot deliver complex, thought-provoking content. I don’t know the name of the group, but I know that the legendary musician Dizu Plaatjies is showcasing students from the SACM African Music Studio.
Then I stroll into the rehearsal room to see contemporary dance companyJazzart working on a run of their show. Took me 2 seconds to realise I needed my video camera. And I sat and watched, transfixed and transported by what these men and women are able to convey and do with their bodies. You should have been there, and hopefully you will be when they open. Also next Tuesday.
The dancers are telling their stories…not only with their bodies, but with their words, their choice of music, the twitch of a muscle that conveys a history of love and hurt, bullying and friendship. There is a reason they are the premier contemporary dance company in South Africa in my book. They are that good.
And there I was just sitting here, bored. Shame on me. And shame on you if you don’t come, support, feed on this art.
You will be the loser.
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