Romeo & Juliet / REBELLION & JOHANNESBURG is Jessica Nupen’s modernised re-telling of the classical Shakespearean story set to the backdrop of a transforming street subculture in Johannesburg. This electrifying contemporary dance-theatre piece taps into the unique spirit of the city and its changing cultural landscape. Nupen’s creation in collaboration with Moving Into Dance Mophatong, assistant choreographer Sunnyboy Motau, Soweto-born music pioneer and ‘Prince of Township Tech’ Spoek Mathambo, photographer Ed Blignaut and Johannesburg based designer Anmari Honiball examines the complexities of a generation of young South Africans faced with the challenges of a transforming socio-political environment. The piece is a portrayal of the resilience and vibrance of a ‘lost generation’ in search of identity. Inspired by the dancers’ individual biographies, Nupen creates an edgy and wildly infectious piece that exposes the contradictions and often humorous paradoxes in the country while expressing a unique response towards contemporary South Africa.

Supported by: Kulturbehörde Hamburg | Hamburgische Kulturstiftung | Lufthansa | German Embassy South Africa | Ammer Stiftung | Rand Merchant Bank | Mantombazana Foundation | Moving Into Dance Mophatong | Goldman Sachs Gives | South African Embassy Berlin and Consulate General Munich | Brand South Africa | University of Hamburg | Dance Forum | The Sukuma Foundation.

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