Dance: Die een wat bly
15 October at 12:00
HMS Bloemhof Skoolsaal
“Memory is a funny thing. It doesn’t like the truth.”
Watching Die een wat bly (‘The one who stays’) is like being invited into someone’s dream or private memory.
Part-dance and part-theatre, Die een wat bly examines the complex relationship between a queer man and his mother, and how it changes over time as they both become older. Director Wessel Pretorius and choreographer Natalie Fisher of Figure of 8 Dance Theatre take the audience on a journey of a man’s fragmented memory and his coming to terms with grief.
Daneel van der Walt (right) delivers a masterclass in acting. Shaun Oelf (left) plays her young son. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
The actress Daneel van der Walt and dancers Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf each deliver masterful performances as they shift into their different roles.
The piece follows a dancer who has lost his mother, as he takes the audience with him while wandering back through his childhood, perhaps to figure out how he got to where he is. His memory is clearly fragmented, leaving us as the audience wondering how much of it is true, as well as questioning the fallibility of our own memories and the stories we all tell ourselves about our own lives.
Die een wat bly was nominated for six Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) Kanna Awards. Left to right: Grant van Ster, Daneel van der Walt, and Shaun Oelf. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
While technically in the category of dance, Die een wat bly is that and so much more. There is a delicate but perfect balance between acting and dancing, both in complete synergy with one another. The simple set design of a few suitcases and a dining room table is made richer by the use of light and the actors’ shadows throughout, coupled with video projections and music. The actors make all these elements work seamlessly together. Then there is the piece of white fabric, which transforms into many different things: A ballroom dress, Mother Mary’s head covering, and even a bathtub.
Dancers Shaun Oelf (left) and Grant van Ster (right) play young and older versions of the same character. PHOTO: Supplied/Llewellyn de Wet
While a lot is happening on stage at times – dancing, music playing, actors talking, video projection, and shadows bouncing off the white cloth backdrop – Die een wat bly is never overwhelming. It is a truly immersive experience, leaving the audience suspended somewhere between dream and reality.
Die een wat bly is a testament to the potential of theatre and masterful actors to completely transport an audience to another dimension. It lingers in our mind long after the actors have taken their bow. And it reminds you to give your mother a call.
● Die een wat bly can be seen on 16, 18, and 19 October at HMS Bloemhof Skoolsaal. Tickets are available on Quicket.