Jeremy Nedd & Impilo Mapantsula

blue nile to the galaxy around olodumare
VIERNULVIER
  • Thu 19.09
    20:00 - 21:00
    De Vooruit, Gent
    THEATERZAAL
  • Fri 20.09
    20:00 - 21:00
    De Vooruit, Gent
    THEATERZAAL

Trigger warning: at times, very loud music can be heard. Free earplugs are available at the cloakroom.
The first 10 minutes of the performance will take place in complete darkness.

An Afrofuturistic experience with South African dance set to the cosmic jazz of Alice Coltrane.

From the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane and Bheki Mseleku to pantsula, the South African dance that gave an entire generation a voice during apartheid. With "blue nile to the galaxy around olodumare," choreographer and dancer Jeremy Nedd explores the Black diaspora and immerses us in a cosmic, Afrofuturistic experience.

Collaborating with the dance collective Impilo Mapantsula, Nedd bridges jazz as an expression of African American self-determination with pantsula, a powerful movement language known for its virtuoso footwork. Improvisation is central to both the music and the dance.

The performance draws inspiration from cosmic phenomena: from the birth of a galaxy to the death of a star. By connecting the energetic and lyrical jive style of pantsula with echoes of past protests against oppression, the performers reflect on the compression of space and time, and our illusions of progress toward the future.

Thrilling encounter

Concept / Choreography / Performance: Jeremy Nedd - Performance / Choreography: Sibongile Mathebula, Sicelo Xaba, Thomas Motsapi, Bonakele Masethi, Sello Modiga - Technical management & lighting design: Thomas Giger - Stage design: Laura Knüsel - Costume: Tara Mabiala - Sound design: Fabrizio Di Salvo, Rej Deproc - Dramaturgy: Anta Helena Recke - Production: Caroline Froelich (Moin Moin Productions) - Touring: Arina Frölich - Technical management Touring: Chiara Leonhardt - In coproduction with: ARSENIC Centre d’art scénique contemporain, Internationales Sommerfestival Kampnagel, Kaserne Basel, Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Tangente St. Pölten - With the kind support of: Fachausschuss Tanz & Theater BS/BL, Pro Helvetia and Africalia