TOT

Via Katlehong Dance (South Africa) - tamUjUntU

The title tamUjUntU is not easy to translate. The expression 'tamo junto', a shortened form of 'estamos junto', roughly means: we stand together!, let’s go!, high five!, or we’ve got this! It conveys empathy, solidarity, and a sense of connection between friends in the face of adversity.

Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, Ndebele, Quilombolas, Roma, Cariocas, and many other backgrounds come together in this project between South Africa and Brazil. It is a dance performance that reveals how people feel connected to one another, with movements that speak without words. The dances emerge from both urban life and the traditions of both countries: Pantsula resembles Passinho, and Amapiano is blended with Samba.

Everything is mixed together. Nothing stays exactly the same.

Just like the dancers themselves, who share their own stories on stage through their bodies. They use their bodies like open windows — ready to let new influences in, and always learning something new.

This is a performance where everything is possible — except letting go of each other. Or, as choreographer Paulo Azevedo puts it: “To embrace is to linger in the body of the other.”

Photos