Water dominates in choreographer Sabelo Cele’s dance film, Isabelo.
Mentorship, collaboration with Jomba! and the creation of dance in film format are some of the sector-driven responses Stand has facilitated for artists to negate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and shift their reliance on fickle government aid and corporate funding. For Cele, the first blow of the pandemic came when his work in Durban evaporated, forcing him to move home to Ladysmith.
“Here I was, back home, having to play the masculine uncle role, but also suddenly unemployed and unable to provide like I’m expected to do as a man. I was also not able to go to church, but I needed to stay in touch with my spirituality, my Catholic upbringing and my connection to traditional healing,” says Cele of the way the lockdown instantly reshaped his world.
This year marks 30 years in the industry for the Soweto-born dancer who joined Moving Into Dance in 1990. This was the dance company Sylvia Glasser started in her garage in 1978 to include Black dancers in defiance of apartheid’s segregationist laws. The mentorship programme allows industry newcomers to plug into experience and support. Mentorship also acts in reverse, as established professionals are given fresh perspective, reaffirming the value of lifelong learning.
“Theatre has resilience. As artists, we have always been able to overcome because we are the people who can break boundaries, open minds, speak truth to power and use our platform to give voice to the oppressed. We tell of the issues that are pertinent to the people. Not even government can do that as well as we can,” he says.
Source: Entertainment Trends (entertainmenttrends.net)