\nWhen water\nmeets soil, the earth softens. Too much\nwater, and the soil is flooded. Too little, it becomes dessicated.\nWater, too, needs the soil in order give\nlife. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Metsi<\/a><\/em> <\/a>begins, the sound of water ripples through the scene. The water feels near and yet far, representing both our needs and our fears. The choreography is strong, clear, and evocative. The performers take their time and listen to one another, it feels like watching multiples of the same character. When they stand back-to-back in a straight line, their synergy is soothing. They are an impeccable ensemble, flowing with united breath, altogether swaying from side to side to the sound of a ticking clock. Tick, tock, tick, tock, they softly beat the time. They are within time and not of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nthis piece, time moves quickly and yet the work feels wonderfully\npaced. It is grounded, but the earth is malleable. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nstage is covered in sand. There is a distinct patch of garden where\nflowers grow\noutside a shining shack. They are\nplucked by the gardener, their dying symbolic of the death of beauty.\nBeautiful moments, beautiful people live and die. Flowers, like human\nbeings, have a lifespan. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nMetsi<\/em>,\ntime underscores our greatest fear: death.\nBut as the water drips and flows through the ticking of time, we\nlearn this fear of death is\nalso a fear of\nlife, preventing our full blooming. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nsands of time are sifted as days go by, only\nto be picked up again for another day. And\nso, life goes on. Metsi<\/em>\nis also, partly, a love story, but one that\ngoes beyond girl-meets-boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performed\nby a powerful quartet whose acting is as strong as their singing,\nMetsi<\/em>\nresonates in its choreographic innovations. The movement is solid. It\nis as though each of the four knows exactly what is felt in each\nmoment. The pairs mirror one another. This device provides\nlayers of aesthetic riches.\nThe characters Juliet\nand Motswahole, performed by\nBalindile KaNgcobo and Abongile Matyutyu, perform the characters with\nease born from the knowledge they\nare in service to a greater story, even if Matyutyu is a bit forceful\nin his monologue to us, the audience on the\nother side of the lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writer\nand director\nHannah van Tonder has the pair surrounded\nby the physical forces of nature trying to help Juliet and Motswahole\ngrow beyond their\nchildhood difficulties. Juliet must learn that she is of water and\nnurture her heart as much as her sharp mind. Motswahole must learn to\nroot himself into the ground by accepting his Sotho heritage as well\nas the shifting sands of his multilingual township identity. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\npair surrounding the\nprotagonists are\nmore than supporting roles. They embody Juliet and Motswahole in the\nelements. Thobani Nzuza and Thulisile Binda perform the rain and\nwinds through excitingly simple use of\nsimple objects: stone, enamel basin, rope.\nIt is an entirely cohesive performance of a theatrical world\nunderstood as an ecosystem. The form is a breath of air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Metsi<\/em>, the tragedies of nature are also healed by nature\u2019s storms. Ultimately, life is fought for and won by acts of courage. Courage to heal becomes seed for the birth of a new world. Life is lived, no matter how long or short its span. Like water, people flow through time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Metsi was performed at the virtual National Arts Festival from July 19 -22.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Credits:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Writer & Director: Hannah N van Tonder \n\n\u00a92021 The Critter. This article is licensed under a <\/em>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dramaturgy: Paul Noko
Performance: Thobani Nzuza, Abongile Maurice Matyutyu, Thulisile Binda and Balindile kaNgcobo
Stage Management: Nokuthula Mabuza
Images: The South African State Theatre <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n