Anncey, France. Photograph: John Hogg
Dada Masilo, the South African choreographer known for reimagining ballet classics, presented The Sacrifice, her astonishing and deeply moving interpretation of the western dance classic The Rite of Spring, during a two-day run at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre in May as part of a world tour. Masilo’s version is a 65-minute work that diverges from Stravinsky’s music but draws inspiration from the work. Most notably, Masilo retains the structure and thematic focus of Stravinsky’s Rite, which centers around a community’s collective decision to sacrifice a woman for the betterment of society.
In terms of the music, Masilo has choreographed The Sacrifice to a new score by African composers Ana Masina, Leroy Mapholo, Tiale Makhene and Nathi Shongwe. With roots firmly in the Tswana dance of her background, Masilo reshapes the original piece to create something entirely new that blends contemporary and southern African dance forms. The resulting piece is a gripping and altogether fresh fusion of music, rhythm and ritual.
South Africa. Photo: John Hogg
The performance takes place in front of a simple projected backdrop that simulates the African bush. It begins with a solo dancer – usually Masilo herself – moving gracefully across the stage, her fluid movements synched to the subtle beats of the exquisite musicians and singers arrayed at one side. As the ensemble joins her in a joyful dance against a backdrop of bare-branched trees, the almost tangible connection between dancers and musicians fuses into a dazzling synergy of motion and sound.
So well do the dancers’ energetic undulating, clapping, slapping and stamping complement the buoyant rhythms of the offstage musicians that – during a particularly uptempo segment that demands an especially ebullient group dance – the dancers chide the musicians with guttural interjections to play less frenetically.
From this surprising comic moment, the joyful dance builds a sense of community . . . before devolving into religious hysteria, when the solo dancer becomes the chosen one. However, instead of dancing herself to death, she dies in the embrace of a mother figure and accompanied by the poignant vocals of Ann Masina.The final moments of The Sacrifice evoke acceptance and struggle and symmetry: acknowledging the world’s demand for sacrifice as part of the natural order.
When The Rite of Spring was first performed in Paris 1913, its avant-garde composition and choreography are said to have caused hysterical reactions in the audience. Masilo’s original response to The Rite of Spring transforms that work entirely. Rooted in African dance forms and music, her startling staging and captivating choreography breathe prodigious – even overwhelming – new life into this narrative. And while I saw no evidence of audience hysteria, it’s no exaggeration to say that Masilo’s distinctive interpretation is leaving appreciative 2023 audiences reeling – in wonderment and appreciation.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesayarts Magazine, 2023
