Conception

Sello Pesa

Residency

camage Tshawe

Boyzie Cekwana  

Creative Advisors:       

Boyzie Cekwana

Phala Ookeditse Phala

Performers                   

Sello Pesa

Humphrey Maleka

Dieketseng Motjetje

Accordionist

Molatodi Phasumane

Bass Player

Platjie Wilson Tsepo

Stage Manager

Oscar Motsikoe

Visuals

Octavia Sonyane

Photography

Zivanai Matangi

Co-produced by the National Arts Festival & the Perfroming Arts Center of the Free State

Sello Pesa - Conception

Sello Pesa interested in exploring the changes which arise from living in South Africa; the shift between traditions, rituals and the present; the way one alters the other and becomes something else. His artistic practice embraces taking performance out of traditional theatre spaces and placing it in alternate spaces, in the centre of the public eye. He uses every day, mundane objects as inspiration, as well as natural and ritualistic movement to create living installations which meld and blend into the surroundings in which they are performed. Objects are narrative, symbolic and mutable, their changing symbolism reflects the changes of circumstance and society. He constantly seek ways to push the boundaries of performance and the perception of performance, with an aim to close the gap between the performers and the audience.

Pesa studied contemporary dance at the Northen School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds UK. Over the years he been nominated for several awards, both as a choreographer and performer, winning first prize at the French Biennial of African and Contemporary dance Movement Revolution – In and Out of Africa, The Critical Endeavor Award at the iDans Festival in Turkey and an Ovation award at the National Arts Festival. He enjoys collaborating with diverse artist from theatre, visual art and performance art backgrounds in order to create layered and textured works.

Mumphrey Maleka - Performer

Humphrey Maleka was born and raised in Soweto, Johannesburg. He started dancing at a young age, learning Pantsula and other township dance forms, and in 1991 was introduced to Afro-fusion, Contemporary dance styles and later Flamenco.      

He was accepted into Ntsoana’s Training and Development Programme after which he became a permanent member of the company and  has been an integral part of s since then performing at the Dance Umbrella, Arts Alive Festival, Jomba Contemporary Dance Experience, The National Arts Festival and has toured to Mozambique, the Netherlands, the DRC, Germany, France, Turkey, Tunisia and the United States.

He has participated in various choreographic workshops, created solo works, Naka tsa go rweswa which was performed at Goetheonmain and in the In House Project and Displacement which was performed at Dance Umbrella and in China. Maleka was part of a collaboration which was selected as a finalist for the MTN Young Contemporaries Award.

Maleka is interested in socio-political matters these which affect people on a daily basis regardless of their race, culture, sexuality, class, religion, political affiliation etc. His intention is to bring these matters to the fore so that they can stimulate conversations and discussions amongst people in the hope that they will come up with solutions to our societal challenges.

Platje Wilson Tsepo - Bassist

Tsepo is originally from Ficksburg in the Free State and has been playing music since the age of 7 when he would practice on his father’s key board while he was at work. He has been working as a professional musician, focusing on the bass guitar, since 2010.

Tsepo has worked with Press Music, Brian Themba, Obbs and Bondo and has performed in the theatre productions Footsteps, ha Lapeng and Thaba Bosiu.

In 2022 he won Best Songwriter of the Year at the Central Music Awards.

Dieketseng Motjetje - Performer

Motjetje is from Winburg in the Free State - she is an accomplished singer, actress and poet as well as an Emcee, voice over artist and radio broadcaster. Motjetje has appeared in productions such as Thaba Bosiu, Setjhabasaka, Pitiki, Mollakwekwe,Toro and Kubute

Molatodi Phasumane

Molatodi Isaac Phasumane grew up listening to Famo music and watching the elders playing the accordion during weddings and parties etc. He fell in love with the instrument and in 2010 began learning how to play it from people who owned accordions. He was asked to play informally when attending community events in the Rustenburg and by 2012 he was playing professionally. In 2016 he recorded a cd khohloemadimo vol1  “Radilucky" Lehlohonolo Mofo" and Makaota le Matlama". Phasumane is a composer and also plays one of Lesotho's indigenous instruments, Lesiba.