In 2008, Masilo was the recipient of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance. For that National Arts Festival, she created a Romeo and Juliet, based closely on Shakespeare's text, but reflecting the youth of the title characters in her use of Bach and Vivaldi, performed by Vanessa Mae and Nigel Kennedy. The work was restaged for the Arts Alive International Festival 2008 and in October it goes to the Baxter Theatre Centre in Cape Town.
Carmen posed an even bigger challenge. Masilo said: “I began with the idea of unravelling Carmen the woman - to search beneath the surface presented in the ballets and operas - to find the vulnerability beneath the cold, heartless exterior. In the process of research, there was so much to unravel: I searched for Bizet and found Shchedrin, I discovered many existing narratives. Ultimately, I have created a narrative that allows the dancers and I to do what we love most - to dance.”
The first phase of Carmen, was Unravelling Carmen, a 30-minute work commissioned by the FNB Dance Umbrella with additional support from the National Arts Council. This work, for seven dancers, premiered last March.
In Carmen, Masilo leads a cast of 12 dancers including Penny Ho Hin, Carlynn Willliams, Lulu Mlangeni, Nicola Haskins, Vishanthi Arumugam, Gustin Makgeledisa, Mpho Masilela, Bailey Snyman, Xolani Mthabela and Lesego Ngwato. For music, she has chosen Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite-Ballet Suite for strings and percussion based on themes from Carmen by George
Bizet; Bizet's Carmen Suites; Maria Callas singing the Habanera; and two sections of Arvo Part's
Lamentate.
The work runs without an interval and is not suitable for under 16s. Performances run on Thursday, 10 and Friday, 11 September at 8pm, Saturday, 12 at 6pm and Sunday, 13 at 2.30pm. Tickets are R85 for adults, R55 for students, pensioners and groups of 10 or more, and are available at Computicket. For further information, call The Dance Factory on +27 (0) 11 833 1347 or email .
