A snippet from a soon-to-be-published written offering;
Dala What You Must: A Manifesto.
[Queer Dance Vol II ed. Prof Clare Croft, University of Michigan]
To Dala is to mobilise. To Dala What You Must is to mobilise according to your own positionality, inclinations and subjectivities.
In this manisfesto, I use my solo work, Woza Wenties! to describe its practical aspect. How I choose instead to move from slouch, slump, breath, instinct - from de- and un- and let-.
This intellectual exercise, which is an extension of my Masters final paper “Dala what you must: an interpellation in dance”, has become pivotal in defining for myself, the principle under which my artistic practice operates.
It is a practice, and praxis, that begins with fire - not form. By a need to create on my own terms, from the raw necessity to speak from a place ungoverned by colonial or even popular expectation.
I choose to reframe what dance can be; not polished perfection, but potent presence.
This is how I Dala.
This is the work that I must do.
💫 Dala, Dala, or else we are lost 💫
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#dalawhatyoumust #dala #lorinsookool #queerdance #danceimprovisation #dancescholar #danceartist #practiceasresearch #decoloniality #mobilization
The love that emanates from this woman’s labour is palpable. It is felt not only through the work itself, but also through the reverberations of those who are blessed enough to be working in her company. The cast of Hatched and Herd/Less hold aspects of the company life in ways that highlight the deep work that is happening here. The commitment, the belief, the relief.
I was happy to be apart of this, momentarily, yesterday afternoon ❤️ facilitating a conversation for gathered students and artists.
The opening performance at 8pm was an unforgettable experience. I doubt there was a soul in that room that wasn’t touched. The cast is phenomenal in delivering what feels to me like a culmination of Mamela Nyamza’s life work. It deserves allll the flowers it’s currently receiving.
If you can, I urge you to experience the work tonight at 8pm, and then the World Premier of Herd/Less at 2pm on Saturday.
Mamela Nyamza’s labour of love is a testimony to artistic perseverance and persistence. We are blessed to be lead so powerfully, and to call her our own 🇿🇦 ❤️
Before the uniformity of training, there was a person who first chose contemporary dance; the other week we went looking for them.
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Company: @jazzartdancetheatre
Sound alchemy: @_purely_
🎥: @efogleproductions
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#practiceasresearch #lorinsookool
2026 Upgrade: Mama Who Dances —> Mama Dance Teacher 💥 Natural progression. We’re one term in already, and I’ll be picking up more classes in our hood this week. My daughter is going to have to join all of them 😅🤷🏽
The aim is to stimulate movement rather than instruct. But yes we do that “monkey see - monkey do” stuff too because it’s also fun to learn new moves. As well as do whatever we want to different kinds of sounds or music.
We just want our little ones to be comfortable in their bodies, know that they have autonomy over their bodies, and be able to express themselves through their bodies 💛
Play • Move • Dance 💃🏽 🪩 🕺🏾
On 29 April at 2pm the incomparable Mamela Nyamza will share an Open Rehearsal of her iconic and internationally-renowned work “Hatched Ensemble”. I am honoured to be facilitating a post-discussion, on this day only, entitled “Inside Hatched” 🐣✨
This moment is designed to create accessible pathways into the theatre, the work itself, and the processes that lead to the work.
Tickets are available via Webstickets however we are making provisions for high school art students, tertiary level dance students and community-based projects or schools. If ticket price is the problem, get intouch 🔊
Please get intouch with me as I will be collating this information for Mamela Nyamza’s production team.
Find me on social media or at the following email address: [email protected]
Ayeye 🔥
Let’s fill up The Baxter ✨
Art and money are not comfortable bedfellows.
Yes, artists should be able to earn an income through the medium of their choosing. But the moment something becomes economically viable, there’s a risk: the work gets stuck there. Repeated. Packaged. Resembling the system within which it operates.
Stuck. Until the artist stops moving, too.
Art must keep moving.
We must experiment. Take risks. We can’t be afraid of failing according to metrics we don’t even agree with.
I believe the artists of the future will increasingly have multiple portfolios. Multiple-portfolio artists already exist yet their “seriousness” is doubted - I look forward to the collapse of outdated ideas of artistic purity.
A career should look like the artist who is living it.
Our first responsibility is to remain in deep relationship with our practice. To listen closely to it and let it change us - let it change our minds about what we were taught about “success” or how to be in relationship with our art in the first place.
Awe.
#dalawhatyoumust
Body Politic16:skin is here!
We are so proud and thrilled to introduce this incredible line up.
Please stay tuned for more posts and details on the individual artists.
Please save the date.
Tickets are live on the Theatre Arts website.
Link in my bio.
Really looking forward to seeing you there.
In the interests of transparency BP is a Transformative Justice space. If there is an abuser or harmdoers in our space, at any time, we urge you to send Louise a DM. Your information is confidential and vital. We promote healthy discussion around conflict, harm and abuse in order to build a meaningful community.
BODY POLITIC, founded and directed by Louise Westerhout is an informal, non-institutional, queer normative Live Art event which illuminates ways performing artists address their bodies' complicity with, or resistance to, dominant social ideologies and structures. So far the work of 70 local and international performance artists has been showcased including Denise Onen, Lorin Sookool ,Qondiswa James, Kanya Viljoen, Lungile Lallie, Genna Gardini, Lukhanyiso Skosana, Kopano Maroga. Naledi Majola, Themba Mbuli, Kanya Viljoen, Mikki George.
![A snippet from a soon-to-be-published written offering;Dala What You Must: A Manifesto.[Queer Dance Vol II ed. Prof Clare Croft, University of Michigan]To Dala is to mobilise. To Dala What You Must is to mobilise according to your own positionality, inclinations and subjectivities.In this manisfesto, I use my solo work, Woza Wenties! to describe its practical aspect. How I choose instead to move from slouch, slump, breath, instinct - from de- and un- and let-.This intellectual exercise, which is an extension of my Masters final paper “Dala what you must: an interpellation in dance”, has become pivotal in defining for myself, the principle under which my artistic practice operates.It is a practice, and praxis, that begins with fire - not form. By a need to create on my own terms, from the raw necessity to speak from a place ungoverned by colonial or even popular expectation.I choose to reframe what dance can be; not polished perfection, but potent presence.This is how I Dala.This is the work that I must do. Dala, Dala, or else we are lost •••#dalawhatyoumust #dala #lorinsookool #queerdance #danceimprovisation #dancescholar #danceartist #practiceasresearch #decoloniality #mobilization](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6714371220401948654626_0_2e82f2dd1dcd0bd091138a468562eb5b.jpg?o=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&h=2b9d2b4dff0d9ee8e040b74b9e3705dc)
