Latest news with #AsandaRuda
News24
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Standard Bank Young Artist winner Asanda Ruda delivers potent dance production
Dancer and choreographer Asanda Ruda was announced as a Standard Bank Young Artist winner earlier this year. She put on an avant-garde dance production titled KEMET – Black Lands / Alkamal Walkamal Almutlaq – Completeness and Absolute Wholeness at the National Arts Festival. The festival takes place from 26 June to 6 July 2025 in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. Dancer and choreographer Asanda Ruda's double-bill production at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda showcased two sides of her style. Part one, the solo KEMET - Black Lands, is sporadic and avant-garde, while part two, the three-woman ensemble Alkamal Walkamal Almutlaq - Completeness and Absolute Wholeness, is harmonious and delicate. The two-part production stays with you long after you've left the venue, as Ruda's choreography and sound design conjure the ineffable. But there are moments that you react to instinctively, and you can feel the pain and catharsis in each of her movements. Ruda, who hails from Soweto, was announced as a Standard Bank Young Artist winner earlier this year. She was previously part of the Pina Bausch Foundation and toured Europe. Kemet - Black Lands was developed during her residency programme at Hellerau, and she has another residency in Paris. On the pieces in the production being put together, Ruda says: 'The two pieces are separate, but they intertwine and relate in conversation.' There's an implied element of violence to Kemet that makes it particularly unnerving. At one point, the arrhythmic sound of Ruga hitting a plastic bottle is played in the background while she delivers her chaotic routine. She says that the sound was inspired by watching news reports of the war between Iran and Israel. When asked how the theme of violence connects to the idea of self-expression, Ruda says: 'I feel like we are constantly fighting. Life is not easy… We choose to make it so hard and so difficult,' she says. 'That's why we want to compete against each other, so there are wars, hunger, and disease. But we forget about one thing - to start with the self. This is why we fight each other because we are incomplete within ourselves. We forget to look at the soul and the spirit.' Mark Wessels It's hard to sync with Kemet's ritualistic rhythms; it feels like she never repeats a movement, and you can't predict what she'll do next. But the routine is disciplined, considered, and intentional. Nothing looks like an accident. The unpredictable nature of the solo perhaps speaks to Kemet's theme of 'personal emancipation', unfiltered self-expression, and violence, too. 'It is an open exploration and an extension of identity and a displacement of consciousness and sanity,' she says. 'You can never digest and predict the next move of the psychopath or of a dictator.' The accompanying sound design is striking, too. It consists of a sound collage-esque piece of music, including found sounds and field recordings. Her second piece, Alkamal Walkamal Almutlaq - Completeness and Absolute Wholeness - has a more intuitive rhythm. Ruda is accompanied by dancers Sinazo Bokolo-Bruns and Thandiwe Mqokeli. Though more 'conventional' than the preceding act, this routine maintains the abstractness. It's a spiritual work that speaks to human connection and ritual. Though the dancers are doing the same routine, they are not always perfectly synchronised. Maybe this is unintentional, but that irregularity once again speaks to uniqueness and self-expression and the tension it has with community where one can still have their own rhythm while following a shared routine. Mark Wessels Ruda says this was the first time working with Bokolo-Bruns and Mqokeli, and they worked on the production for a month. 'It was a great relationship to come together and meet,' she says. With the piece, she was trying to explore spiritual boundaries: 'We look at the spiritual self and the soul and ask, 'When are we completely full, and how do we complete ourselves, as human beings, souls and spirits?'' She says it was 'amazing' to be announced as a Standard Bank Young Artist winner and put on her show at the National Arts Festival. Because of the posters and banners, people have also been recognising and approaching her. 'Creatively, it's a wonderful opportunity, and I'm really grateful to receive it,' she says. 'I hope that more opportunities like this still arise and continue.'
Mail & Guardian
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Diary: National Arts Festival, Thandiswa live at the Lyric, Sisonke Afrohouse
Thandiswa Mazwai returns to the stage for an intimate, soul-stirring performance at The Lyric Theatre. (Photo supplied) Festival returns with fresh fire and fearless talent For 11 days this winter, Makhanda becomes the beating heart of South African creativity and artistic innovation as the National Arts Festival lights up the Eastern Cape until 6 July. A staple on the cultural calendar since 1974, the festival has long been a space for protest, play and powerful storytelling — and this year is no different. The programme honours Youth Month by spotlighting bold new voices through the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards. Six trailblazers — Asanda Ruda, Siya Charles, Muneyi, Calvin Ratladi, Modise Sekgothe and Nyakallo Maleke — will debut genre-pushing work across theatre, music, jazz, dance, poetry and visual arts. It's a testament to the resilience and brilliance of South African youth and a celebration of the art that helps us reflect, reimagine and rise. Visit Thandiswa live at The Lyric for one night only Thandiswa Mazwai returns to the stage for an intimate, soul-stirring performance at The Lyric Theatre on 29 June at 7pm, marking a year since the release of her fourth studio album Sankofa. Joined by a stellar jazz quartet, she will journey through songs from Sankofa and Belede — two albums steeped in memory, lineage and fierce artistry. Expect stories of mentorship, movement and music, with nods to the likes of Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. The show offers a celebration of pan-African sound, with reinterpretations of protest jazz classics and new material. Tickets at Webtickets — Get together for an Afrohouse event Sisonke — We Are Together, an Afrohouse music event, is set to launch this weekend. The event is an experience rooted in unity, rhythm, culture, and energy. Sisonke, which means 'we are together' in isiZulu, aims to connect music lovers through sound. The event will take place at The Nest in Johannesburg on Sunday 29 June from 2pm to 11pm. 'Sisonke brings together the immersive power of Afrohouse music and a carefully curated community experience. 'With an emphasis on premium, intimate settings, each Sisonke event offers a deep, soulful celebration of Afrohouse culture from South Africa to the world,' say the event organisers. Rising South African artists Omagoqa and Thakzin will be gracing the Sisonke stage. The full line-up is set to be announced during the course of the week. Tickets are available on Quicket for R300.
