Following its successful premiere in Maputo, Mozambique in March, the South African tour of this dance theatre production commenced at The Market Theatre Lab, Johannesburg in April and continued to The Playhouse Theatre, Durban and the Guild Theatre, East London in July 2012. iKapa Dance Theatre closed this dynamic tour with a season in their home town at the Artscape Arena Theatre in August 2012.
The production was inspired by how universal stories and life experiences cause an emotional reaction that affects one’s breathing. “The dancers allow multiple emotions to stimulate their breath, which is the inspiration behind their movement,” explains Ndindwa.
Inhale/Exhale combines the artistic and technical excellence of iKapa choreographers, Tanya Arshamian and Theo Ndindwa, with the unique musical talents of Afropolitan Explosiv’s Thokozani Mhlambi and Nobuntu Mqulwana.
Through the intense creation process and artistic collaboration between musicians, dancers and choreographers, a new full-length dance theatre production has been born. The collaboration has produced a work that is deeply emotional and personal, yet it will resonate with audience members from all walks of life. The intense use of mind, body and soul connection is truly inspirational and the vision of emotion dictating the breath and then movement is highly engaging.
Inhaling and exhaling, just like light and darkness, are integral functions of our being. Like our stories, breath is a shared human experience that gives us a unique chance to explore our perspective. The dancers allow multiple emotions to stimulate their breath, which is the inspiration behind their movement. We should allow our breath to inspire our motion, breathing is all we have and it is the line that separates us from being here or not.
In a landscape of thoughts, feelings, sounds and vague images, we can relive our memories and often, even years after an event, we can still remember how our pulse rate and breath were affected from the emotion we experience. The choreographers have captured this connection and translated it into movement to tell their stories.