Concept: Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi
Choreographer: Gregory Maqoma
Inspired by the experiences of The African (Native) Choir, which travelled between England, America and Canada in 1891-93, Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi have constructed an elegant and raw reflection on how the West ‘others’ and how this ‘othering’ might be reclaimed and challenged. Although not quite perfect, it is a beautifully constructed and shocking indictment of colonialism.
We see scenes of the central choir (Maqoma, Tshegofatso Khunwane, Nokuthula Magubane, Simphiwe Sikhakhane, Lubabalo Velebhayi) travelling, receiving angry reaction from the West, and returning home, all conveyed in dreamlike, near-speechless but always songful, segments that fuse dance and choral singing. The West is represented by Sarah Latto’s Echo Vocal Ensemble, which become a horribly frightening presence and utilise Western choral music to attack and suppress the Xhosa of the choir.
The two musical traditions are “pitted” against each other, although as the show demonstrates, it is impossible to have cultural conflict when one culture is in dominance. These musical contrasts drive the show, producing moments of comedy and pain, as the choir try to reclaim their voices and identities.
They are a magnificently talented group, adept at dancing, acting and most gloriously singing: Khunawe, Magubane, Sikhakhane and Velebhayi are each in exceptional voice and carry the audience through the strange, dreamlike scenes. The show is almost all metaphor, and the scenes are arresting: flour thrown from a table; the choir surrounded by the vocal ensemble; Maqoma dancing on his own whilst trying to break free of a folded plastic tube. Sometimes these scenes need a touch more clarity—the sparse narration provides little illumination—but individually they work as an incitement to the audience to think about what they represent and provide smoothly rendered moments of theatricality.
Broken Chord uses innovative staging, lighting and music to examine how Western culture suppresses those of other nations, and how this can be overturned and remembered, whilst recognising the inherent difficulty of rejecting a “dominant” culture. A series of exceptional theatrical moments combining dance and ridiculously beautiful singing from every participant, it lingers in the mind long after watching.
Runs until 18 March 2023
