Cape Town - Ending this year with a bang – now in its eighth year – the ArtsAbility Festival which celebrates the abilities of artists with disabilities will bring to the stage an array of breathtaking art pieces at the National Disability Rights Awareness Month.
Staying true to the theme “Disability, Dance and Diversity”, Artscape along with the Unmute Dance Company, have partnered with guest productions from overseas including Diversity in Dance UK, and Sensorium EX to bring fresh, new performances for audiences to immerse themselves in.
The festival seeks to engender an innovative, creative space of exciting, heartfelt performances for disabled and able-bodied artists and performers. It commences at Artscape on November 28, culminating on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3.
Through inclusivity, performances, dialogue and workshops, the festival continues to use the arts to drive social transformation, addressing the issues that people with disabilities experience in their lives.
It further seeks to highlight the significance of accessibility and integration into the arts, all while celebrating the uniqueness that these artists have to offer.
According to findings in a research report documented in the African Journal of Disability titled, “Creating inclusive Performing Arts practices for development of youth with disabilities”: a critical ethnographic study, headed by Artscape CEO Marlene le Roux, give exposure to the performing arts provides important skills development and social opportunities for disabled youth.
“It is up to the ‘keepers’ of the performing arts – those in administration and management – to realign the performing arts in a way that can best benefit everyone,” the report said.
The report explored how youth with disabilities, who were exposed to theatre performances, were influenced by becoming aware of possibilities for social and economic inclusion.
Audiences can look forward to a jam-packed line-up of artistic performances including a moving piece called Timelapse, presented by Unmute, a production that delves into moments in one’s life that move with us through time – be it a happy memory, a traumatic feeling or minor experiences.
The piece also explores how moments affect future moments, making this deeply felt art performance one which shapes new beginnings and refreshes souls.
The Unmute productions start on November 30, at 7.30pm with thrilling new work through a collaboration by the Unmute Dance Company and Italian artist, dancer and choreographer Alessandro Schiatarella.
Schiatarella’s dynamic relationship with Unmute began in 2016 during his first residency in South Africa with the company, which has since developed into powerful exchanges of creativity and exploration.
Schiatarella has previously brought two of his works Altrove and One at a Time to the ArtsAbility Festival in 2018, which was met with vigour and enthusiasm.
Another production to look forward to is Unclear on December 1, at 7.30pm by queer disabled artist Louise Westerhout, which follows in forensic detail the journey of struggles and triumphs in an altered body after treatment for stage 4 cancer and hip/ femur replacement.
Unclear is a raw account of separating one’s consciousness of mortal existence, and our flawed needs for purpose. This production uses strong language, and was developed in conversation with Craig Leo.
The Diversity in Dance UK performance takes place on December 2 and 3. It’s a programme that aims to expose all artists to different cultures through performing arts and engagement, creating a standard of work that is recognised on a global stage, while creating moving experiences for audiences to enjoy.
Taking part are: Pallavi Nair, Chinyanta Kabaso and Jia McKenzie, who is a deaf dancer. The Unmute Dancers are Nadine MacKensie, Yaseen Manuel and Tasmin Andrews.
Also in the line-up is a gripping interpretation of the Islamic story of Adam and Hawa (Adam and Eve), in a piece called Dust to Man by Yaseen Manuel on December 2, at 7.30pm.
The story starts at the beginning of life as we know it, detailing Adam’s purpose and duties to man on Earth.
Sensorium Ex has partnered with the Artscape ArtsAbility Festival to bring a collaborative performance to the stage, where artists are able to share with intrigued audiences the magic of expression through the use of technology.
The team is working with Artscape to identify performers from the local disability sector to fulfil some of the roles, including that of Kitsune and the Chorus. Auditions for these roles are under way.
Composer and artistic director Paola Prestini, explains: “Our aim is to build new methods for co-creation and inclusive practices in opera by developing approaches to casting and the artistic process which centre access, inclusion and lived experience as the driving forces of the creative process.
“The time with Artscape will focus on exploring new collaborative approaches to developing a scene grounded in more improvisational elements – centering the role of a mixed-ability chorus and their relationships to improvisation (both voice and movement/dance) and early explorations of how we might develop an artistic language for a character who is non-verbal, as the key exploration of the workshop.”
“It’s a dream”, said Jerron Herman, choreographer and associate director.
“Sensorium is a piece of art and a process that is impacted by the communities and environments with which it partners”. The Sensorium Ex opera is being funded by the following international organisations; Ford Foundation, VisionIntoArt, Beth Morrison Projects, the Atlanta Opera and Enactlab.
• For more information about the audition process, visit https://allarts. org/programs/the-first-twenty/sensorium-asl-cc-ynstfu/ https://allarts.org/programs/thefirst-twenty/sensorium-clip-artificial-intelligence-qi5xnb/
Cape Times