An unforgettable performance inspired by the praying mantis: jackï job’s latest dance production, And Then…, heads to Artscape

And Then…, the latest iteration in an award-winning dance series, opens at the Artscape Arena Theatre on 29 November 2023.

jackï job is an accomplished artist known for constantly raising the bar of contemporary dance performance. Her dance series And Then… began in 2018. It has taken on many forms – each one planting the seed for the next – including a film that aired during lockdown in 2020. And Then… was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award and won the UCT Meritorious Award for Creative Works in 2022.

jackï job approaches her creations with a sense of magic, constantly seeking to conjure new textures and vibrations on stage. A contemporary dancer, first-generation Butoh performer and pioneer of Butoh on the African continent, she has created a polished, unique dance style that ignites the imagination. Using shaking, unpredictable, rhythmic movements, her body extends and contracts in ways that reach into the heart. She creates true musical phrases in movement, animated with the ebb and flow of tension and relaxation. Her dance is grounded on the human breath.

In concert with her longstanding collaborator José Dias, she creates innovative, organic performances that have riveted and moved people all over the world. The duo intricately weaves set movement and structured improvisation techniques, creating unusual synergy and connection, carrying all those who witness to a place of deep soul-listening. Dias brings the piano to life, and it becomes the third performer. He manipulates the chords and strings, acknowledging the piano’s ancestry as wood and tree, as metal and rock, as ivory and animal.

And Then… is about the way we love and vibrate with sentient worlds. It reaches for the most basic and universal of human instincts. It is an organic journey of desire, compassion, acceptance and love. Deeply personal, for both the audience and the performers, it allows each individual to develop their own very intimate interpretation of their work. Always, audiences are awestruck and carried to a place of connection.

And Then… who knows what might happen …

Listen to how a former Fleur du Cap Award judge, Niel Roux, describes the work.

There will be performances daily at 20h00, plus an additional matinée performance at 15h00 on Saturday 2 December.

For more information and to purchase Webtickets visit https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1535897232

Date:              29 November to 2 December 2023.

Location:             Arena Theatre, Artscape, DF Malan Street, Foreshore, Cape Town.

Tickets:           R250, available from Webtickets