Debbie Hathway
THE New York Times described them as a Japanese Monty Python with a Beatles-like spirit, capable of maxing out an applause meter if one were ever to be used at one of their performances. The Condors begin their South African tour of Grandslam at Oude Libertas in Stellenbosch this Friday and Saturday, before moving on to Durban and Bloemfontein.
The all-male troupe combines contemporary dance and music with a cleverly constructed comic edge that “looks at the flipside of people’s characters”.
Audiences can expect to see a tapestry of excerpts of their best work, typically enhanced by the inclusion of audiovisual elements captured on their arrival in each town.
Impresario Jacki Job, who met Condors director/choreographer Ryohei Kondo during a seven-year working stint in Japan, is responsible for organising their South African tour.
She explains that although Kondo is Japanese by birth, he grew up in South America which means he looks at the Japanese differently. “He’s very relaxed about the culture, doesn’t take things so seriously and sees the humour in their strictness and uniformity.”
Job moved back to Cape Town soon after the tsunami hit Japan in 2011. The disaster meant that cultural funding allocations were redirected, which put paid to her plans to develop her own show, Two as One, into a larger project involving more Japanese and South African dancers. The piece incorporated themes about countries, cultures, gender and identity, showing how two people (the dancers) begin to communicate and eventually become one, using elements of Butoh dance and Kabuki theatre as their language.
Job has been able to maintain ties with her Japanese counterpart in that piece, Kenshi Nohmi of An Creative, who is also the co-producer of the Grandslam South African tour. They have continued to work on building an artistic bridge between the two countries, beginning with the Condors tour for this year.
The content of the Condors’ work is very contemporary in terms of Japanese society today, she says. “It’s entertaining and accessible, and very different to what we’re used to. That’s what great, because in contemporary dance we’re always really serious.
“The Japanese have got a very childlike sense of humour; very simple, and way offbeat. It’s really about the behaviour. I used to be in stitches watching Japanese game shows on TV, even though I didn’t understand a word.”
Although the Condors share common ground in dance, they are also very musical. Each one plays a musical instrument, with Kondor himself being a skilled bassist and pianist.
In addition to working as performing arts lecturer, high school teacher, visual artist and Chinese martial arts master, guitarist, vocalist, IT expert, actor, dancer, playwright and voiceover artist, they also pool their skills for Condors productions.
This includes being able to manage the company, create animation clips of their work, and film and edit snippets from their travels to incorporate into their live shows. The Condors have been touring the world to great acclaim for the past 15 years.
l Sponsored by the Japanese Cultural Ministry, Grandslam is one of those rare productions that should not be missed. See it at the Oude Libertas Theatre in Stellenbosch on Friday and Saturday. Tickets: R140 to R160, 021 809 7473.