Via Sohpiatown at Louvre Abu Dhabi
Via Katlehong Dance will perform Via Sophiatown at Louvre Abu Dhabi on 19th and 20th April. Founded in 1992, Via Katlehong Dance is not just a dance group, but a "community development organization".
Via nj.com, "Initially, the dancing was a way to divert young people from the violence and crime that wracked the townships during the struggle to end Apartheid. The choreographer, who grew up in Katlehong, says he joined the troupe himself in 1996, when he was about 15 years old." Do read the complete article, as it gives you an insight into this group.
The performance at Louvre Abu Dhabi will take place at the Auditorium Plaza at 8pm on Thursday/Friday 19th and 20th April. The price of the ticket ranges between AED 114 and AED 142 which can be bought online or at the museum.
Via Sophiatown combines pantsula dancing, a sort of non-acrobatic but demanding hip-hop, tap-dancing, stepping and gumboot dancing. By calling out, whistling, stamping feet and clapping, the audience participates in this celebration full of dynamism and passion for life.
With beat of internationally renowned South African music, like Dorothy Masuka or Miriam Makeba, the show will feature couples dancing the tsaba-tsaba or kofifi, the ancestor of the pantsula. Accompanied by three jazz musicians, they will relive these highlights of African culture, the 'happy Africa' era.