Mamela Nyamza Returns to the Baxter Theatre With DE-APART-HATE

Following the short season of her latest work ROCK TO THE CORE, choreographer, performance artist and activist Mamela Nyamza brings her equally controversial and provocative DE-APART-HATE, to the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio this October. The 2011 Standard Bank Young Artist Award recipient appears onstage with Aphiwe Livi in the production.

DE-APART-HATE is a layered piece that reflects complexities of current issues in society and the world. It is overtly about neither apartheid nor race. The two-hander confronts the prejudiced and intolerant forces that exist in the world and uses religion to symbolise all the pervasiveness of oppressive and divisive forces that infiltrate all society. Nyamza says:

It is about unsteadiness, anxiety and edginess. It is about shifting, shuffling, re-adjusting discomforts as well as personal and collective battles against intolerant systems. The work goes to the heart of embodying defiance, desperation, dismantling and detonation of all institutional myths and fallacies that keep people apart.

Known for her direct confrontational artistic works about interaction and introspection of who we are, this latest work showcases Nyamza's unique approach to dance and performance art as she continually strives to challenge herself and the world in which she lives. BroadwayWorld's regional editor, David Fick, reviewed DE-APART-HATE in its debut season at the Cape Town Fringe last year, saying:

DE-APART-HATE will mean a lot to everyone who is trying to engage with what is going on in our country at the moment. Because the mystery of what will rise once what must fall has fallen, what lies beyond decolonisation is what is at the heart of this piece, and Nyamza's recognition of that makes her a visionary.

With her deep interest in exploring the politics of the body, Nyamza's work aims to confront the present circumstances of classical dance by brazenly interpreting and deconstructing both the traditional methods and logic of ballet. ROCK TO THE CORE, which concludes its run at the Baxter today, challenges the current status quo of the arts in South Africa, interrogating the idea of socio-economic disabilities within this context.

DE-APART-HATE, which carries an age restriction of 14 years, runs from 24 - 28 October at 19:30 nightly, with a matinee on 28 October at 15:00 on 28 October. Tickets cost R100, with a special price of R60 for students and seniors upon presentation of valid identification. Bookings are online through Computicket, by phone on 0861 915 8000, or in person at any Shoprite or Checkers outlet. For corporate, block or school bookings, charities and fundraisers, contact Sharon Ward on 021 680 3962 or Carmen Kearns on 021 680 3993.

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