Great University Dance Production

The University of Johannesburg's new dance drama production of Desdemona is based on Shakespeare's Othello but, told from the heroine's viewpoint. It is an absolutely breathtaking and, also inspiring to know that young people are prepared to work that hard and perform their hearts out for an audience. And, even more so, if one takes into account that choreographer/ director Owen Lonzar had four weeks within which to create a work of such outstanding impact!

 

The story is set in a modern-day university environment and Lonzar works here with UJ students who have no dance experience (the university does not offer dance, drama or music) and who are joined by some students from the National School of the Arts and also two professional male dancers. The achievement thus deserves much more than even the standing ovation it got last night - I regrettably missed opening night last Friday.

Despite the obvious limitations of budget and skills Lonzar faces in this university production, he doesn't compromise and challenges the dancers to the very limits of their capabilities. The set is an inverted rehash of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ which he directed for UJ last year – and it works extremely well! The overall result is a contemporary work of great drama which incorporates many variations of contemporary dance but never denies balletic influences. Lonzar uses jazz, hip hop, street, swing and a plethora of modern forms to create different moods and convey different messages. For instance, in the tango he brilliantly shows Othello's intensity and Desdemona's devotion while subtly portraying the jealousy, subdued anger and betrayal which lies just below the surface. The choreography from this section is brilliantly mirrored in the final moments of the plo’s unfolding.

And, while the story originally was created for the word, throughout this dance production, Lonzar very successfully manages to illustrate the central theme of Shakespeare's drama; That love, while filled with passion and eternal hope, can carry very different interpretations and meanings for the different characters in the plot.

Lonzar also weaves a subtext into the production - in this instance particularly the abuse of women. This makes the work very relevant to the South African context and the messages it conveys are pertinent and educational. From the very beginning he juxtaposes the differences between the sexes, with the girls who are cooperative and supportive in their groups and the boys who are competitive and with a need to display their strength and dominance. This is really innovative choreography and I will go as far as to say that not since Esther Nasser premiered PULA last year (arguably with South Africa's most outstanding professional contemporary company) have we seen such relevant choreography.

It would be a real pity if Lonzar isn't given the opportunity of presenting this dance drama with a professional company sometime in the future. If with students he managed to create this kind of magic, I am confident that with the strengths a professional dance company offers, he could recreate a work that will hold its own with the best that dance has to offer.

I have been wholly unimpressed with most of the dance presentations Johannesburg got bombarded with last year. With the exception of a few, there was really was little quality going around. The University of Johannesburg can justifiably be proud of this dance presentation as it showcases all the values the institution stands for and also puts in place new demands for raising the standards in many a professional company in this city.

As mentioned earlier in this review, last year Lonzar also directed ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ using mostly UJ amateur students and the minimum of professionals. At the time I remarked that his production of ‘Little Shop’ was the best musical production we had on a Johannesburg stage during 2012. What a pity that the Naledi Awards ignored the show.