how in salts desert...

Show & Culture

After the winter rains, thousands of wild daisies burst from the semi-arid soils of Namaqualand each year. From this almost impossible image, Robyn Orlin creates a piece carried by the untamed joy of Okiep. In this former mining town, marked by a century of colonial exploitation, the choreographer first crosses paths with the Garage Dance Ensemble and the musicians Yogin Sullaphen and Annalyzer. Together, they imagine a piece that refuses to confine its performers to the sole question of origins. On stage, a mock concert becomes their playground: colourful garments, live music, video, and choreographic outbursts come together in a ritual of repair that is both joyful and political. Robyn Orlin does not seek to soften the violence running through their history – she counters it with a blossoming of gestures, sounds, and images.