OZ Arts Nashville

Gregory Maqoma’s

Vuyani Dance Theatre (South Africa)

Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro

May 4-6 at 8PM

Tickets from $25

“Exhilarating…the irrepressible vitality of the performers offers hope; an artistic prayer for collective betterment.”
— The New York Times

“Maqoma has always been expert at conjuring the visionary and the magical.”
— The Guardian

One of South Africa’s most celebrated artists, Gregory Maqoma is thrilling critics around the world with his powerful new music and dance work Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro. The award-winning theatrical experience is carried by the transformative singing of an African gospel quartet and features a rousing live score based on the stirring harmonies of Isicathamiya — an a capella style originating from the Zulu people.

Inspired by the writings of South African novelist Zakes Mda and Maurice Ravel’s legendary composition, the work weaves a narrative of greed, power, and communal mourning. The hauntingly complex and percussive performance is set in a graveyard, following a designated mourner as he navigates the tension of a post-Apartheid South Africa. Maqoma has described the production as “celebratory of our human experience,” and a ritual to free the souls of “those who have departed, those who were taken from the continent through slavery” so that they may “find peace.”

FREE! Soweto-Style Gospel Masterclass

Monday, May 1
7–8:30PM

Join ensemble members from South Africa’s Vuyani Dance Theatre for a dynamic vocal masterclass centered around Isicathamiya a cappella singing and harmonizing. This workshop is designed for pre-professional singers, professional singers, and lovers of a cappella harmonies.

Friday Night Post-Show Conversation

Friday, May 5
Following the performance at OZ Arts

Friday night ticket holders are encouraged to remain in the theater after the show for a special conversation with the artists of Vuyani Dance Theatre.

FREE! Contemporary Dance Masterclass

Saturday, May 6
11AM–12:30PM

Led by members of South Africa’s Vuyani Dance Theatre, this dynamic 90-minute class will introduce intermediate and advanced movers to the athletic styles of the company.

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