WORKSHOP WEEK
DÜSSELDORF / CAPE TOWN 2014
THE CROSSCULTURAL
FRAMEWALK
in 2009, based on relational cross-cultural works in the performing arts and in arts in general, researching embodiment and transformation across cultures and traditions through participation. During framewalk the artists migrate as one group, from one culture to the other, back and forth as one somatic shape. Listening and communicating, collecting stories being offered along this journey. Being inbetween, the participating artists need to call out for each other and recall at the same time their individual cultures to rely on. Unveiling mysteries, finding poetry or follies, being always close enough to connect and distant enough to still see, ready to give and share their findings, their personal and professional skills, their visions and their uncertainties, become this one, although temporary, but trusted and solid body. framewalk.
FRAMEWALK
THE CROSSCULTURAL WEEK
FRAMEWALK – the crosscultural week founded
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
WHERE IS IT NOW
HOME
Framewalk students asked me, where
So what makes a home? We can find
I personally feel at home, as I seem to
a notion of home in many things and
be moving around a lot. Without any
places, but mostly home deals with
hesitation I replied: My home is/are
personal memories and emotional
my people. People I genuinely care for
moments that make us feel loved,
deep in my heart. Where ever I meet
understood, protected and cared for.
them, disregarding when and where,
These sentiments nestle within our
I am home.
personal selfs and are at the source, the core of our being.
I extended my nuclear family into my personal global village. I have my
When being at home within yourself,
people in Germany and I have my
rooted through love, magic and trust,
people in Ghana. And there are my
then we can maybe find a physical
people in Brazil, in Turkey, in the
place in this world, called home,
Netherlands, in France, in the US, in
where ever it might be in this very
Columbia, in Suriname, now in South
special moment of life.
Africa as well. Framewalk creates many of these For me home is all about connection,
homey feelings, looking for what we
complicity and community. Sometimes
share, where we can artistically meet
I stumble accross home in a passing
in order to allow us to be who we
moment, this comfortable place
are in this our multitude of diversity.
between beginnings and ends. The
Petra Kron
shape of my home shifts, it is not stationary, it changes and so do I. When I feel present and can be me, without any second thought, this is where home embraces, comforts and enlightens me.
AND IT TASTES LIKE HOME
WHEN IT SMELLS LIKE HOME
»Pass me the salt, pass me the pepper
and hand me that bottle of wine.«
»Pass me the rotie, pass me the curry,
give me that food of love.«
»Gib mir das Sauerkraut, gib mir den Rotkohl und ein bisschen Brot.«
»I also want to feel good,
so can I please have a piece of that Brot.«
Food, so good, Food so good…
THEN IT MUST BE HOMEY FOOD.
The Framewalk experience in Cape Town 2014
need for the participants to open their hearts to
was testimony to the power of the Performing
one another. And it’s very difficult to deny an
Arts to move individuals beyond an intellectual
open heart. When the heart is open you begin
conception of each other. Building a project
to touch new worlds of awareness and insight.
together – creatively sweating it out alongside
Suddenly humanity seems capable of singing
another human being – takes you to another
very different songs.
level of engagement and understanding. These
Geoffrey Hyland. Associate Professor and
creative encounters have at their centre the
Head of Drama, University of Cape Town.
Hearing. I like the noises life makes and they guide me like an intuition. Zena Touch. My body is the nectar of my soul, my second brain. If my body is comfortable, I am home. If not, I am not at home. Dustin Smell. All things are familiar, scents make me feel home away from home, like the smell of food, laundry, spaces etc. Sanchia Touch. It is so powerful. I get to feel the temperature and the texture of whatever or whoever it is I am touching. I can only feel someone’s heart beat by touching them and that way I become more intune with what their heart is feeling. Sizwe Touch. It can express so many feelings. If I touch someone while saying something, I feel their feelings and their energy surge through my body. Matthew Hearing. It makes me feel safe hearing the sounds I am used to, like TV, the washing machine and children playing outside. Eric Seeing. Nothing is more comforting and warm whelming to me then seeing a welcoming heart. Seeing a peaceful place or environment takes me home. Charlotte Hearing. Conversations I eavesdropped in, lessons at school, teachings from people and music I grew up with make my home. That made a good listener out of me. Shona Seeing. It can change my perspective on everything. Just that gives me life. Amanda Hearing. It feeds my soul. Angelina Senses. Without, no home. Marie Lena
OF THE SENSES, WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE ?«
»IF YOUR HOME WAS ONE
WHERE THE PERFECT
HARMONY MEETS.
HOME IS
My Mama always told me
The only structure that I need
is my own spine, my lungs, my heart, my soul
so I carry my home wherever I have to go
Now I want to tell you
The only structure that you need
is your own spine, your lungs, your heart, your soul so you carry your home wherever you have to go.o.o.o.
»IF HOME WAS A SOUND,
A morning-sleep’s breathing, a cigarette being lit, the opening of a beer at the end of a day, dancing feet moving together into an early morning. These are the metaphysical cornerstones of my life’s sounds. Lauren Waves hitting a beach, at times very calm and peaceful but then rough unexpectedly. Benso A guitar’s sound is calming me. Tankiso
A soft piano music, with tingling bells in the silent moments, keeping the sparkle of the melody, reminding me of sea waves on a good sunny morning. Charlotte Birds, wild animals, river sounds and water falls are comforting, welcoming and peaceful to me. Amanda White noise. A running TV, my brother playing a computer game, my baby brother running around and people always talking loud. Matthew A drum, it is the sound of Africa, the rhythm of our heart. Dustin Guitar and banjo. They remind me of my cultural background and how it unifys people. Sanchia Birds chirping on trees bring back memories of coming home from school where I would find my grandmother imitating the birds sitting outside in the sun. Shona The fresh wind breeze at the sea. It is a healthy sound, it is calm and welcoming yet it evokes a homey feeling. Odwa Onions frying, it takes me back to my mums food. Kiro
WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?«
I love laughing. Where there is laughter, there is happiness. Sizwe
»Daddy not at home Daddy sipping on that liquor mother chilling in the room
looking at the family picture
son comes back inside
saying Momma please dont cry, sigh,
you can see the tears in her eyes… what people don’t realise, is pain starts deep inside it only gets worse as people start to criticise… so my son what’s worse the gangs or the lies,
or chilling in your room yeah
covered in your cries… child runs away from home
finds a life in theatre…
almal daar lag maak hom voel n bietjie bieter
gangs, violence, drugs
yes he was there too…
now his sitting on the stage rapping in front of you
oh still exists.«
»Home is an illusion.
that the space, that the space that I left
How can I know,
»Gratitude fails to articulate the result of my experience in Framewalk. I remember the first question of the day given to us: what is home to you? I naively said: a connection, referring to it as a felt experience more then it is a physical dwelling. My experience in the workshop through into the performance was exactly that. It had me connected to people I now can call family. As you leave South Africa I am left plugged in to each one of you. The connection we made, created memories. I will keep and treasure with me that something no one can ever take away from me.«
ABOUT FRAMEWALK?
WHAT DID (DIDN‘T) YOU LIKE
»I enjoyed every minute of this passing week. I really enjoyed how everyone was given the opportunity to take part in all 3 disciplines. None of us were perfect at all three, but being given a chance to have fun while learning and making friends was great. I enjoyed the mixture of culture and was of working. What was especially amazing to me was how we came together as artists from different countries to create something beautiful. I would have loved more time to explore without having been cut by the teachers sometimes, cause there was potential to grow. Framewalk reminded me of why I got into the arts in the first place. And as artists we help each other and Framewalk helped to create opportunities for the future.«
, WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
»This Framewalk was the most intense that I personally experienced. The SA students were so talented and full of energy and spirit. I take that with me. They really inspired me. I am impressed and even more motivated to hold on to my dreams and plans. »I love Framewalk. It was a great time in Cape Town.
I was blessed that I was part of this week. Cape Town
I like that we always have one topic we work on.
is unbelievably beautiful. The landscape is just
We do really develop different things in the different
stunning. The topic of home had a special meaning to
genres, but given the one theme, everything connects
me, because I met my sister here after 23 years.
in the end and is presented together. The question of
It felt as it was my destiny to come to Cape Town. At
the day helps with it as well. One of the questions
the end it was more then interesting to realize
I answered that at home I can touch everyone and
how many perspectives you can get out of one topic
everything. And at the end of this Framewalk I
and that home is where your heart is.«
noticed, I could touch everyone in our group. As it happened in Ghana and in Ethiopia as well. Framwalk is a home. Even more may be. I love our artist instructors and I love P. «
, WHAT DID YOU LEARN? talents, that made me very happy. I enjoyed working with all of them, especially with the dancers. They were all very good in their own way and we could teach each other a lot and experimented a little bit together. All SA students were unique and everyone knew exactly what he or she wanted, they had their own opinions which seemed to be very strong to me. Everyone was totally committed and there were always good suggestions and good critiques. Everyone was respected and we were always listening to each other.
WHAT DID (DIDN‘T) YOU LIKE
»It was a beautiful Framewalk as always. This time the students were all big
ABOUT FRAMEWALK?
Because we arrived Sunday evening late, there was no real meet and greet for us. A pity. Usually I consider it stressful but now I understood why we do it. One gets a first picture about the people you don’t know. I wished we worked more with the topic of „home“. It is an important major issue and it was not clear how we definine it in our group. Partly the teachers seemed unprepared. I think the teachers should already have their own ideas so that there is a little order in the creative chaos. Nevertheless the result – once again – was fantastic and I am always impressed about what we, these very different people can achieve in a few days. It was fun that all the girls shared one room and that we had our own „kingdom“ without teachers. We had to be responsible and we could take our own desicions. I want to thank for the beautiful Saturday excursion because that was really one of the most beautiful things I‘ve ever experienced in my life.«
PART ONE
THE TEAM
Petra Kron works as cultural anthro-
Kojo Benedict Quaye aka Sir Black is
pologist and performing artist for
an African living in Ghana. He is a
productions and projects. She does
performance artist, painter, sculptor
production management for various
and Ehalakasa (spoken word poetry)
programs and plays in Germany
instructor. He is the founder of Talk-
and abroad, working majorly in
FACT3, Ehalakasa Talkparty the only
crosscultural contexts. She develop-
regular poetry event and the Annual
ped a concept for relational cultural
Ehalakasa Festival. Sir Black is very
works. She designs and instantiates
much involved in organizing spoken
art programs like Framewalk and
word poetry events, workshops and
Lab dc in collaboration with artists
projects in schools and communities
in varying countries, like Japan,
in collaboration with local, internati-
Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria,
onal and cultural institutions around
Turkey, Israel and Germany. She’s
the country. He is a three-time prize
got a Ph.D. (ABD) in Cultural Anthro-
winner in spoken word poetry (Eha-
pology of Mainz University and a
lakasa) including the 2006 Peace
state board examination in Fine Arts
FM National Search Competition.
and English from DĂźsseldorf University. She teaches and researches her concept of relational cultural work at the University of Ghana and other Institutions for the Performing Arts.
THE TEAM
PART TWO
Othello Johns works as choreographer, dancer
has believed in collaborations between, forms
and pedagogue for various institutions in the
and mediums, genre and people; artists and non
field of the performing arts. For most of KABA-
artists alike. He has practiced from design to
WIL’s dancetheatre productions like »Leila and
acting, dance and music and has run workshops
Madschnun« or »King ED« he was the artistic
in Germany, South Africa and Mexico. He has
director for Dance and Choreography. He
lectured movement in the Wits school of the Arts
worked as a soloist for the companies of Milton
and has performed in a wide range of works.
Myers, Rod Rodgers, Isadora Duncan, Erick
He was the artistic director for the Sankofa Afro-
Hawkins and Tanzatelier Wien. He studied
Indigenous fusion band in South Africa.
Dance and Choreography in New York at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance
Rehane Abrahams is an actor, playwright,
and at the Erick Hawkins School, as well as at
occasional performance artist and for the past
the University of Louisiana.
7 years, a director. She is from Cape Town, South Africa. Rehane has worked with
Owen Manamela-Mogane is a dancer, Choreo-
companies like the San Francisco Shakespeare
grapher, actor and theatre director born in
Festival, Thrillpeddlers TC and Magnet Theatre.
Mpumalanga, raised in Johannesburg where he
She has co-founded Teater Gelombang Badan
began his craft as a performer, formally trained
(Java), theatre fireFLY(Bali) and most notably
at the Johannesburg Dance Foundation in diffe-
Mothertongue South Africa. She has trained
rent disciplines as a dancer. In his career Owen
in acting at UCT, Butoh dance at the Body
performed with various dance companies and
Weather Farm in Hakushu, Japan, Classical
in all major Jazzart dance theatre productions
Javanese Dance in Central Java, Indonesia
including the award-winning Junction, Rain in
and she has had a small taste of Kalaripayat at
a dead man’s footprint and Cargo. He worked
Hindustani Kalari in Kerala and wants more!
with highly acclaimed directors like Mark Fleishman, Ina Wichterich and Mandla Mbothwe.
KyeKyeKu has worked on several artistic projects
Recently he choreographed »Ukutshona Ko Men-
connected with sound and music for short
di« at the Market Theatre titled and anchored
movies, theatre, poetry and performance in
the TV show, »Rands with Sense« on SABC2.
general. He writes, arranges and produces music. He is a lively performer whose music
Alfred Elikem Kunutsor is a tutor in performance
and performances cut through a cross-section
studies in the Department of Theatre Arts at the
of styles heavily influenced by the acoustic
University Of Ghana Legon, Accra. He has an
guitar with a tasty Ghanaian Highlife music yet
MA and BA in Dramatic Arts from the University
exploring a mix of classical, Flamenco Jazz and
of the Witwatersrand South Africa. Over his
Brazilian guitar styles and sounds in his music.
period of study and professional work till date
White. It is the colour of freedom. I want to live a clean life without fights and misunderstandings. It helps me to keep an overview. Eric Green. It represents growth, creation and receation, the beauty of nature and life. Home is the place where I constantly grow, it is the garden in which I am groomed and refined. Sizwe Orange. It always makes me feel warm and welcome. Marie Lena White. It is the easiest colour to draw new things on. I can change. Tankiso Gold. It is warm and cosy. It reminds me of Christmas, candles, lights and angels. It’s just paradise. Tyshea Red. I connect it with love and harmony, at the same time it can be a sign of alert and a symbol of life. Zena Red. My home is a place of happiness and welcoming. It is a special colour. It allows people to stop and have a look at it. It stands for bravity and surprise, it is also adventurous. Odwa Burned Orange. When the sun sets behind table mountain, it reminds me of South Africa, of heaven on earth. Dustin White. My home is very plain and clean and my family is like a canvas, open to all ideas. Matthew White. As in a blinding white light. It is everything and nothing simultaneously. Lauren
WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?«
»IF HOME WAS A COLOR,
we go to sleep. Matthew Giving a high five the way it associates with victory or congratulating. Sizwe An hour and a half freestyle contemporary dance movements in a dark studio and when the sweat runs down my body and my breath becomes heavy but centered. I never feel more alive. Lauren Sliding a hand from the forehead down the cheek to the chin. Tyshea Like a cat elegant, poised and strong. Bella Waves, going away and coming back again. Alex Tortoise, it is very cautious, subtle and gentile. Benso Like the elephant, slow but confident who leaves a trail of foot print wherever it goes. Angelina The movement of a swing the way it goes up and down, it represents a journey with highlights and lowlights. Odwa A warm embrace, this reminds me of visiting home and receiving my
»IF HOME WAS A MOVEMENT,
Fluidity as in water, as there is a constant flow of events that only end when
parents’ embrace after a long time. Kiro It would be the swinging of hips from side to side as my Mum loves music and dancing. Tankiso The movement of trees reminds me of the wind in Cape Town so when I see trees move, it gives me a sense of home. Dustin A moving tree, it sways from side to side, like emotions are changing. Eric Like a SA protest march, unity in a fight for common aspiration. Shona The sound of a river flowing into the ocean, this is home. Charlotte
HOW WILL IT MOVE?«
Amanda Oyantyi, Black, Othello Johns, r. M , ow nk Pa ic Er Solomon Nii Amu, oo, Faraz Bag nqwazana, Kiro Naid M a on Sh , an rm uu St Kunutsor, Matthew Petra Kron lla Narh, Kyekyeku, be Isa y, on th An a lin Ange Sizwesandile Mnisi, Katzen, Marie-Lena uren Blackwell, Liesl La , ck Be in st Du s, Alexandra Luka
Alfred Elikem Manamela-Mogane, en Ow y, nn Be t en em , Cl a Bongo, Sanchia Davids, Odw s, m ha ra Ab ne ha Re ghaei, ggs, Mamabolo, Tyshea Su iso nk Ta , ta ka Sa na Ze n, Dariya Maminova, era) tja Stuke, behind cam Ka nd (a an gi Fi te lot Kaiser, Char
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