Mommy Mommy…: Home is where the dysfunction is

American dancer Isadora Duncan believed “the dancer’s body is simply a luminous manifestation of the soul” and dance is in fact an expression of the soul. In Mommy Mommy…, trauma is notated through dance — through contrived stiffness of the body coupled with sensual and melodic movement, the work exposes the complexities of family life.

Through dance, Mommy Mommy… tells a fraught tale of sexuality, abuse and authority. The work follows the story of a young boy raised by a mother whilst his father saunters and wanders, unconstrained and undisturbed. Sons become their fathers, even if only in the imagination of a patronizing, narcissistic mother. Written as a dark fantasy, it explores the effects of abuse within the context of a dysfunctional home. Whilst for many, home is safety and love, in this context home is traumatic and fraught.

With music by Mondli Mavundla and performances by Thamsanqa Majela and Tebogo Gxubane, the work combines gestures of control and surrender. The result is a very distinctive style with propulsive physicality. A suit and a dress are suspended from the ceiling and point to familial absences that plague much of contemporary South African life — a nod to Can Themba’s remarkable short story The Suit, in which an empty garment stands in for betrayal, love and forgiveness.

With very little dialogue, Mommy Mommy… largely remains opaque and viewers draw on cues and nudges to make sense of it all. A reinterpretation of the nursery rhyme, twinkle twinkle little star, is quickly succeeded by the sound of gunshots while the words — ‘Fellow South Africans.’ ‘Hate.’ ‘Family.’ ‘Raped.’ ‘Free.’ ‘Community.’ ‘Mommy.’ ‘Corruption.’ ‘Jobs.’ ‘Tyranny.’ ‘Hunger.’ ‘Nathi Mthethwa.’ ‘Artist.’ ‘R500 Billion’ — appear on the screen. This disorienting game of association is difficult to connect to the larger narrative arc of the work and overlaps with an interpretative dance that concludes the performance.

Relying on the use of light to communicate meaning. Mommy Mommy is artful and gripping. A carefully illuminated stage environment refines certain aspects while obscuring others. This sense of obscurity succeeds to the extent that it encourages fluidity and rhythmic complexity and fails where it is pushed out to its extremities.

Watch Mommy Mommy… at the virtual National Arts Festival until 31 July.

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Credits:

Thamsanqa Majela: Performer
Tebogo Gxubane: Performer
Mondli Mavundla: Music