Stepping in Situ

Stepping in Situ (More info (desplegable) Stepping in Situ is Matthys’ improvisational and choreographic storytelling practice that explores connections and disconnections to ancestral wisdom, intuition, and identity; particularly through the pelvis and rhythmic feet. Rooted in her cultural heritage as a descendant of the Indigenous Khoi and San peoples of Southern Africa, the practice is in direct conversation with the Nama Stap Dance, a rite-of-passage ritual integral to parts of her lineage.

In this workshop, participants will engage in a series of improvisational movement and text-based scores that cultivate awareness of their relationships to ancestry and ancestral memory, and how these continue to shape their current existence and artistic practices. Throughout the day, we will explore Matthys’ research through object improvisation and choreographic play, while also uncovering individual and collective stories of reacquainting with and reconfiguring these relationships, towards our ancestral reserve of knowledge.

Currently in her research, both the practice and object improvisation serve as containers to investigate themes from Matthys’ latest choreographic work, Aandag! (Attention). This work reflects on what it means to be called to attention; whether by one’s lineage or by urgent socio-political realities, including the ongoing crisis of femicide in South Africa and beyond.)

Led by Francesca Matthys