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Two programmes of contemporary dance by five choreographers from the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative at Wits from June 8 to 11.

As part of The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative’s annual artistic programme the company will present an exciting and provocative programme of contemporary South African dance, created by FATC’s company members. Dansbytes is the third performance season in FATC’s busy programme for 2011 funded by The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund with additional funding from The National Arts Council. FATC’s vision for itself is to work as a powerful and dynamic incubator for contemporary South African dance. A space for artists, both established and new, to push the boundaries of their art and explore new ways of thinking and moving. Dansbytes reveals an exciting group of unique and individual creative voices, all equally committed to the future of a provocative and ground-breaking South African contemporary dance industry. Dansbytes will run at The Wits Downstairs Theatre and Nunnery from 8 to 11 June 2011. Programme 1: Features new works by Tracey Human and Nicholas Aphane and will run at the Wits Downstairs Theatre from 8 to 10 June at 7pm. Programme 2: Features solos by Lulu Mlangeni, Songezo Mcilizeli and Dada Masilo and will run at the Wits Nunnery on 9 and 10 June at 8.30pm and 11 June at 7pm. (Strictly no under 16’s). Booking at www.ticket.co.za R50 per program About the works/Synopsis by choreographers Program 1: New Works Tracey Human’s The last 8 inches “Woman is ever accomplishing a kind of duty she devotes herself to appearing magical and supernatural: she has to astonish and charm us, as an idol she is obliged to adorn herself in order to adored … The age of rouge is upon us … artifice is the strength of the world . And in that same mask of paint and powder, most trimly pencilled, is woman’s strength.” Nicholas Aphane’s No-name Untitled “How does one start to describe his or her own life or path that he or she has created. That is a big question for me!” Original soundtrack created by Nicholas Aphane Program 2: Celebrated Solos (no under 16) Lulu Mlangeni’s ?? “We are, there for we exist. What was the first thing that came to mind? Question mark is a piece inspired by my life journey as an artist from as little as a minor till now. It is about a number of topics to any given audience. The work is personal, ritualistic, intense and invites people to see my darker side, to come into my space and understand my journey. In some of the more intense parts of ?, i’m communicating my frustrations. Everything that happens is questionable, i even tend to question the kind of creatures we are, human bodies or unknown species.” In collaboration with a live three-piece band from Alexandra by the Name of “Untitled Band” consisting of a musician exploring the African drumming, guitar playing and a keyboard, who doubles up as a vocalist! Songezo Mcilizeli’s REFLEX “The work is abstract; It explores themes of reflection in light, sound, movement and impulse energy therefore creates reflex. And also the reaction of our images through others or on reflected surfaces. We then react or converse within ourselves about decision-making to decide what is real and not. Concious and Subconcious.” Original Soundtrack by Nicholas Aphane Dada Masilo’s The Bitter End of Rosemary. When invited to create a solo work for the festival Anticodes11 in Brest, France, Masilo used the opportunity to explore literature’s tragic heroines and their relationship with flowers. The work was created on stage at The Dance Factory, without the aid of a mirror. The 25 minute work premiered in the Studio de Danse at Le Quartz, where it enjoyed five performances. Ouest France: “Rosemary embodies, for the South African Dada Masilo, choreographer and performer of The Bitter End of Rosemary, great female figures of the tragedies, Shakespeare’s Ophelia in particular – in love with Hamlet and rejected, mad with grief, she drowns in a stream. …undeniable artistic maturity. Even the flowers, white, pink, blood red, ritualistically arranged around the stage, fail to tame the gradually building madness. The narrative choreography and incredible energy of Dada Masilo make excellent sense of the fate of the Rosemary, who expresses herself with her body, when her mind has slipped away. Movements of the body, both anchored and airborne, to struggle, to plead and then to surrender. But when Rosemary plunges her hands in rose petals to smear the face and body, you see blood flow. Bitter end …” Music: Philip Miller, Lighting: Suzette le Sueur, Costume: Ann Bailes. For any further information, please contact: Karlen Jacobs, , 071 155 3591.

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