Powerfully moving and personal, BOY’S KHAYA is the latest work and account of Bawren Tavaziva’s early life in Zimbabwe told through a mesmerising combination of contemporary, ballet and African dance, with a spoken-word soundtrack and music.
BOY’S KHAYA, meaning ‘servants house’, is a colonial legacy still very apparent today in Zimbabwe. It draws evocative memories for Bawren Tavaziva, artistic director of Tavaziva Dance who grew up in one and speaks powerfully, through dance, about the fragility of human beings, evoking powerful emotions of his upbringing.
An unforgettable experience, poet and dancer Jessie Jing responded to this work by creating a poem and shared it with us:
I tap my feet to the rhythm and beat
The colours of lights blending their skins
Red ropes wrap their beings,
their movements free
Joyous celebrations between them and thee
Under the covers therein uncover the kings
and queens –
pillaged from and ripped –
Africa torn from her roots
In the end, silence fills the room
Hearing nothing more than the pin drop
Silence.
Created by the renowned contemporary-African choreographer and musician Bawren Tavaziva, BOY’S KHAYA is a thrilling, moving and unforgettable audience experience.
Header image: Matea Photography