Gruelling iKapa dance season opens at Artscape

Choreographed by Andile Sotiya, this seating concept is one of the devices he uses to break down barriers that inhibit us in playing with elements of our urban existence. Sotiya says this is particularly relevant to South Africa, where stadia are used for events as diverse as concerts, political rallies, sports games and even funerals.The avant-garde production reflects the cultural complexity of stadia as urban, creative spaces so as to re-evaluate the dominance of high art in a world that's increasingly characterised by the triumph of the popular.

The Stadium is Sotiya's most ambitious choreographic work. He looks at how to make the space different - and introduced a ramp that runs from the stage into the audience.

Theo Ndindwa, iKapa's artistic director and Tanya Arshamian, company member and co-founder, performed in the first staging of the work in London and Leeds in 2003, where it was very well received. Ndindwa says, “Andile is one of the best choreographers I've worked with and I wanted to see the piece again. He has a unique style because he is able to blend trademark European fluidity and intricacy with a grounded, heavy African feel. It's also very fast and energetic.”
The choreography revolves around games, issues and athletic dancing and promises to engage audiences through its experimental deconstruction of the status quo of society and art.

The Stadium is a physically demanding, one-hour marathon. The dancers, who include Zandile Constable, Bathembu Myira, Mbulelo Ngubombini and Cilna Marais, have upped their cardio-vascular training for the piece, which they're grateful they had time to prepare for since they learned it in March! Ndindwa also had to recover from surgery following a ghastly car crash late last year that took the lives of his four fellow passengers, including dancer Thandumzi Moyakhe.

When they were growing up, Ndindwa and Sotiya lived a few streets away from each other in Gugulethu (Sotiya is a Zama Dance School graduate), outside Cape Town, but only met while working in London.

Sotiya was the first recipient of a scholarship to the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in 1994. He remained in London and created his own company, Dancenomad, on becoming Associate Artist at The Place in 2002. He currently lectures at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds.

As a dancer, Sotiya has worked with companies like Phoenix Dance Theatre and Ludus Dance Company (Britain's leading dance in education company) and has toured extensively with pop star Kylie Minogue. He has choreographed work for a range of professional and youth companies and completed a residency in Belfast, Ireland working with young artists from rival communities. He has taught extensively in the UK and in South Africa, listing highlights like taking company class for The Lion King in London and training Billy Elliot hopefuls for Billy Elliot The Musical.

In 2004, Sotiya set up Roda to represent a group of creative artists, which he co-directs to facilitate a very successful Leeds-based research and development residency with Tiia Ourila and Douglas Thorpe.

Ndindwa met Sotiya when he won the Rambert School scholarship in 2000. He stayed on to complete another scholarship with the Central Ballet School in Richmond, London. Ndindwa was able to freelance in London and Scotland, and worked with Phoenix Dance Theatre (Sotiya had left by then) and The Ensemble Group for the Edinburgh Festival. Repeated offers to perform in Matthew Bourne's male Swan Lake conflicted with other commitments and Ndindwa eventually returned home to help launch the Dance for All Youth Company in Athlone in 2005.

He and Arshamian formed iKapa Dance Theatre in 2007 so that they could make their own work and manage their own projects. After this season, Ndindwa plans to focus more on the business side of the company in order to make it more financially stable. “It's a young company so I still have to dance … I'm finding it difficult to put the right amount of energy into so many things,” he says.

A key focus for iKapa is its outreach programme, which brings the joy and passion of dancing to hundreds of disadvantaged children in the townships. They've also recently started offering open ballet classes at the New Space Theatre (3rd floor, 44 Long Street, Cape Town), where they have been the resident company since 2008.

The Stadium will be in performance at Artscape Theatre from July 2-5, 2009. Tickets range from R80 to R150 and can be purchased through Computicket.