In Opstanding

Dance & Opera: A Perfect Marriage for South African State Theatre

In association with the South African State Theatre, multi-award winning theatre company, Underground Dance Theatre (UDT), presents In Opstanding. After winning the ‘Blou Stoel’ award at the Kyknet Fiestas for most groundbreaking work for their cabaret Askoop, UDT is back with an innovative new production, In Opstanding. This production will delight lovers of classical music, opera, and dance. An inter-disciplinary collaboration of South African performers, writers, composers and choreographers, In Opstanding will be staged at the South African State Theatre from 20 to 29 October.

In Opstanding features four highly talented South African female artists. Celebrated soprano Robin Botha delivers an original song cycle by South African composer Adrian More. Botha is best known for her portrayal of ‘Christine’ in Phantom of the Opera, for which she received a Fleur du Cap award. She is joined by acclaimed pianist Coila-Leah Enderstein and dancers, Cilna Katzke and Thalia Laric. The work is directed by Kristina Johnstone and Thalia Laric.

UDT’s Kristina Johnstone says this production forms part of the company’s mission to explore new performance styles and create progressive high quality work that is at the meeting point of contemporary performance and dance theatre. The company uses a collaborative choreographic approach to look for original movement and images that deconstruct and redefine the limits of dance in South Africa.

“Collaborations of this nature are important to the development of theatre in South Africa as they direct traditional aesthetics to new and unexplored pathways. This fosters an evolution and enrichment of individual creative practices through the synergy that comes about in the dialogue between distinct art forms,” says Johnstone.

In Opstanding draws iconic Afrikaans poetry by various established South African poets including Christine Hugo into a song cycle for piano, voice and dance. It explores the fragility of change through each dance and vocal composition, working intimately alongside the musical language of the piano.

“Breaking the song cycle convention of the singer standing at the piano to present each art song in concert form, In Opstanding uncovers exciting avenues for creative investigation and interdisciplinary collaboration. The inclusion of the dancing body as a canvas for physical interpretation presents innovative and provocative possibilities for the staging and designing of this production,” explains Laric.

In Opstanding will be presented at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria from 20 to 29 October with performances every night at 8pm and matinees on Saturdays at 3pm. In November, In Opstanding will appear in Cape Town at the Youngblood Gallery.