The producer Danie Odendaal commissioned these two works for SABC. The music of Hans Roosenschoon was suggested and I chose three more dancers to perform with me, Tony Bentel, Gill Scott and Guy de Lancey.

Makietie is Afrikaans for an exuberant gathering. No doubt, I needed it to have tension and created this through one dancer representing juxtaposition to the jollifications.

Helios, the heat of the sound and the mirage-like quality it evoked nudged me in the direction of the desert, Bushmen, and stark images of nomadism, moving landscapes, motionless figures, the collective in animals and human shapes.

In both works the studio set of infinity allowed both works to ‘suspend the subjects’ so to speak. It also gave us enormous space to work in leading some scenes to have dancers far in the background as well as some strongly foregrounded.

My friendships with these dancers have weathered well. Guy De Lancey turned out to be a remarkable cameraman and video editor, and Gill Scott and Tony Bentel attended my performance of Chthonia in 2015. The image on the Festival poster was by Guy. See the 2015 performance on this archive.

Infinity

Travelling