Following the success of The Namibian Odysseus, some cast members have had the privilege of travelling to and performing in Berlin and London. They are Julien Geirises, Mathilde Uses, and Irmolie Aibeb (Outjo); Lydia Ndhikwa and Valerie Tjirimuje (Windhoek); Nyandee Mbarandongo (Anker); Josua Homateni (Omaruru); and Zito da Cunha (Oshifo).
P.art.ners Berlin Windhoek invited all eight dancers, OYO staff members Cecilia Petrus, Ivan “Fly” Mueze and OYO Director Philippe Talavera, to Berlin from 6 to 21 October to present three OYO pieces, “Alone?” on discrimination, “Bang Bang” on domestic violence, and “Calypso” based on a scene from The Namibian Odysseus. They worked in Berlin with choreographers Volker Eisenach and Katja Borsdorf and a group of 16 young dancers. The group created the piece “Fallen” on the famous Mozart Requiem. They performed all the dances three times in and around Berlin to audiences ranging from 60 to 280 people. Besides the dancing, the exchange was a fabulous opportunity to visit the town (its TV tower, aquarium, Olympic stadium, city centre, Parc Sans Soucis, etc.) and meet officials. In the process, many new friends were made. Dancers from Berlin are expected to visit Namibia in April 2009, and we hope to give them the same warm welcome.
Sadler Wells and LiveEd of London invited all eight dancers and the OYO Director to London from 15 to 23 November as part of the project, ctrl.alt.shift, sponsored by Christian Aid. This was a professional project aiming at creating awareness about HIV/AIDS among young people through the medium of dance. Sadler Wells is a leading contemporary dance theatre group in Europe, and it was a privilege to rehearse in this famous venue and to see two amazing performances, “Sankai Juku” (Butoh from Japan) and “Yesterday” (Jasmin Vardimon Company). The group had the opportunity to present an improved version of “Alone?” and a movement and song piece, “Because of them”. They also got to work with Skytilz and Flex from Boys Blue to create a hip-hop piece. Even though time was short, they had a walk in central London and visited the Emirates Stadium. They worked alongside four other groups and presented a show at the Peacock Theatre to 1,000 people. We hope and trust this project won’t end there, and that interaction with the other groups will continue.
Upon return to Namibia, the group presented all the pieces except “Fallen” for the World AIDS Day event organised by the City of Windhoek. It was then time for the group to say goodbye and return to their respective communities. Although such projects are extremely time-consuming, they are an incredible opportunity for all those involved. We wish to thank all the sponsors and donors who made these projects possible, and we hope to develop many more opportunities in the future.
