
FANA TSHABALALA
BAM/FISHER
APRIL 28 & 29
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater (DRDT) returns to New York City in April with the New York premiere of its 2017 evening-length work INDUMBA by acclaimed South African choreographer Fana Tshabalala. Performances take place Saturday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 at 3 p.m. at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Place in Brooklyn. Noted arts professional Baraka Sele participates in a discussion with artists and audience following the April 29 performance.
The program
Originally creating INDUMBA to illuminate the perpetual impact of unresolved apartheid politics in his native South Africa, Fana Tshabalala, artistic director of Broken Borders Arts Project, spent three weeks in residence with DRDT in July 2017 to adapt INDUMBA for an American audience. “Indumba” means African healing hut, promising a work of stirring resilience and reconciliation. Tshabalala noted, “As an artist, I am fascinated by how social politics affect human interaction and spirituality. …I created INDUMBA to provide individuals and communities with opportunities for this important spiritual cleansing through dance.”
DRDT Co-founder and Artistic DirectorKevin Iega Jeff, who founded his first company, JUBILATION! Dance Company, in New York City in 1982, said, “INDUMBA forges an expanded aesthetic direction for the company. We welcome all who wish to come prepared to witness work that is newly found.” INDUMBA premiered in December 2017 as part DRDT’s 20th anniversary finale performances, “Deeply Free,” at Chicago’s Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. Chicago Tribune dance critic Lauren Warnecke called INDUMBA “unequivocally the dance of the year.”
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