The award-winning South African choreographer Dada Masilo’s re-imagining of Giselle was a huge hit when it came to Salford in 2019. On 21st and 22nd March 2023, Masilo and her company of eleven incredible dancers return to The Lowry with her latest work The Sacrifice, inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s monumental score and Pina Bausch’s seminal The Rite of Spring.
Soweto-born Masilo has attracted much attention for fusing different dance forms and her retelling of classic stories. She mines her cultural background to create a choreographic style unlike any other. For The Sacrifice, she combines the European heritage of The Rite of Spring with the uniquely rhythmic and expressive movements of Tswana, the traditional dance of Botswana, often used in storytelling and in healing ceremonies. At the piece’s heart is the epic struggle of the sacrificial victim, danced by Masilo herself.
Masilo’s The Sacrifice questions the evil that humans do to each other and explores the power of community to bring about change. Masilo says: “I wanted to explore ritual, what sacrifice meant to the Tswana people then and what it means now. Narrative is very important to me. I wanted to create a story that is deeper than a chosen maiden dancing herself to death.”
The all-South African cast deliver an exhilarating performance. Eleven spectacular dancers hold the stage with their earthy rooted mix of traditional Tswana moves and contemporary dance. They perform to an original score composed by violinist Leroy Mapholo, pianist Nathi Shongwe and opera and gospel choir singer Ann Masina who plays a powerful goddess figure. Joined by percussionist Mpho Mothiba, the musicians play live on stage, interacting with the dancers to powerful, sometimes humorous, effect.
Dada Masilo: The Sacrifice will be at The Lowry, Salford on 21st and 22nd March. For more information and tickets visitwww.thelowry.com or call 0161 876 2000.
