Name: Oratile Pega

Student Number: 2703035

Physical Theatre Essay

The Emergence of Physical Theatre in South Africa

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Physical theatre emerged in the early 20th Century and is a dynamic style of
performance that makes use of movement, dance, mime, acrobatics, and, on rare
occasions, text, and music to express and convey stories through the human body
as a means of communication, which provides a physical and emotional experience
for both the artist and the audience member. Unlike traditional theatre practices,
physical theatre emphasizes nonverbal communication and exploration, allowing
actors to express complex stories and emotions using their physicality and
movements. This type of theatre was needed because it served as a response to the
cultural, social, and artistic challenges of the time, as well as providing artists with a
means to explore the complexities of modern existence and human experience.
South Africa's dance and physical theatre traditions are as diverse as the country
itself. Although it has developed and enriched the performing arts in our country,
South Africa already has a rich tradition and history of storytelling, dance, and
performance, traditional music, and dance techniques which essentially laid the
groundwork for physical expression. Over time, due to colonial influence, South
Africa became exposed to Western theatrical traditions, resulting in the development
of a hybrid method of expression that blended with African cultural traditions and
dances.

When looking at the history and emergence of physical theatre in the South African
context a good starting point according is Gary Gordon. Also known as the father of
physical theatre and the father of the current local form of training, practice, and
performance. (Adrienne Sichel, 2010) Gordon studied speech and drama at the
University of Natal where his hometown is situated. This department was the first of
its kind because of Prof. Elizabeth Sneddon in 1949. (Adrienne Sichel, 2010)
Sneddon had imported the Laban method, a component that was taught in the
speech and drama curriculum at the University of Natal. Laban method is a profound
kinaesthetic and emotional tool that the actor would use to get inside the different
character energies. This allows the actors truly to immerse themselves into the
character and feel what they feel. Before this method was introduced in South Africa
no form of physical theatre or contemporary dance was taught in schools meaning
that the Laban method was one of the first to lay the foundation for the development
of formal contemporary dance in South Africa. Gary Gordon is so important when
discussing the emergence of this beautiful theatre genre because when Gordon left

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Rhodes University's drama department to go teach at the Laban centre for
Movement and Dance in London during the year of 1989, Gordon had returned in
1992 and brought along with him the latest European Physical theatre styles and
with that, he then founded the first ever Physical theatre company based in
Grahamstown in 1993. In 1994, Gordon’s Shattered Windows went to grab people’s
attention at the FNB Dance Umbrella and was the benchmark for Physical Theatre in
South Africa. According to Sichel, Shattered Windows “was an outpouring of white
angst and desperation to survive against the looming catastrophic odds.” (Adrienne
Sichel, 2010)

Another technique that huge influence but is not often spoken about and isn’t
documented is the Graham technique, which surfaced in at least one physical
education department in Johannesburg in the late 1940s because of Teda De Moor.
When she returned to Johannesburg from the London School of Contemporary
Dance in 1981, she brought this technique to teach here in South Africa. One could
argue that Teda De Moor had a hand in the growth and start of Physical Theatre in
South Africa. Even South African dancer and choreographer, Robyn Orlin’s extensive
teaching and early choreography stems from the teachings of Graham. The Graham
technique interprets movements based on the personal life experiences of Martha
Graham. It is a modern dance technique that emphasizes the use of the centre of
the body, also known as the core, as a foundation to create strong and expressive
movement through a contraction, release, opposition, weight shifting, and spirals.
This technique also makes use of dance and movement to explore the emotional
and psychological depths of the human experience and the human body. Although
this technique has not been recognized as having a significant impact on the
emergence of South African Physical Theatre, it remains an extremely powerful tool
and a very beautiful approach to modern dance due to the emotional depth, intensity
of movement, and fluency of movement created by the body.

“Dance and physical theatre in South Africa are as complex as the diversity of
cultures in the country” (Kamogelo Molobye, 2022) South Africa is a very diverse
country. There are a series of cultures and traditions that are found here that often
clash and go against one another but that is the beauty of this diversity. It allows
performers and dancers to play around the different cultures and create a new style
of dance. This just comes to show the fine distinction between socio-cultures that

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shape our ever-changing country. (Kamogelo Molobye, 2022) When looking at the
Apartheid and the political theatre era, theatre genres like Protest theatre and Poor
theatre were created to challenge the oppressive system of apartheid and racial
segregation. Protest theatre is very similar to Physical theatre in the sense that they
both make use of the human body to Convey their messages of protest and
resilience and because of the era the country was in, Physical theatre became a
powerful tool for resistance allowing performers to make use of their bodies to create
a raw connection with people watching in hopes that people can truly see the
injustices of apartheid. Since the end of apartheid in 1994 physical theatre
continued to flourish and grow reflecting the country's milestone in history, embracing
all cultures and races. When looking into the book, Looking Back to Move Forward
explains how Gregory Vuyani Maqoma “innovates fresh movement vocabularies”
(Kamogelo Molobye, 2022) simply by just locating yourself as a point of departure
and taking narratives of one’s personal life converge with societal histories. Maqoma
started dance in the late 1980s and he used to dance as a medium to escape from
the state of the country and the tensions of his place of birth. This book confirms that
modern African dance is complicated and immensely transformational. In the sense
that it has become very spiritual because of the cultural ties that are evident in this
style of theatre. A good example is a play that was performed last year at the
University of Witwatersrand, Ground Zero. The spiritual context behind it combined
with the use of physical theatre, there was hardly any dialogue just music and dance.
Which took so many people through a roller-coaster of emotions just from the use of
the body. Taking us through the journey of war, loss, and colonisation all from the use
of the body. Physical theatre in South Africa represents the wide range of cultures
and complexity that exist. A variety of indigenous dances and traditions have been
combined and inspired by contemporary and Western dances to produce a new
dynamic in modern dance. For example, in the play, Ground Zero. They made use of
physical theatre as a kind of social commentary to teach and raise awareness about
what happened in the past. That is what distinguishes South African physical theatre:
it combines aspects of ritual and storytelling to produce amazing performances that
are deeply centred in our culture and history as South Africans.

In conclusion, the emergence and growth of physical theatre in South Africa is very
evident starting with the father of physical theatre and the father of the current local

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form of training, practice, and performance. (Adrienne Sichel, 2010) Gordon was
able to apply the Laban method and laid the foundation for building formal
contemporary dance in South Africa which played a huge role in its development.
Because South Africa is so culturally diverse, and already traditional dances are
present and very spiritual so now it has become a mixture of both Western modern
dance and traditional dance. Even Woza Albert is a physical play, they make use of
body and mime throughout the play, but it is different because there is dialogue and
text involved but it comes to show more meaning full the use of body is compared to
the use of props. Letting the mind unpack what it is seeing for itself using the rawest
medium of theatre. Physical Theatre.

REFERENCES:

Adrienne Sichel (2010) Grappling with South African Physical Theatre, South African Theatre
Journal, 24:1, 41-50, DOI: 10.1080/10137548.2010.9687921

Kamogelo Molobye (2021) Looking back to move forward: celebrating 20 years of an innovative
contemporary African dance company, South African Theatre Journal, 34:2, 123-
126, DOI: 10.1080/10137548.2022.2050519

Looking back to move forward: celebrating 20 years of an innovative contemporary African dance
company, edited by Watterson, L., Sassen, R., & Greer, T., Johannesburg, Creative Feel/DeskLink
Media and Vuyani Dance Theatre, 2019, 1–175 pp.,ISBN: 978-0-620 85030-8

ESAT (2023) Gary Gordon, ESAT. Available at: https://esat.sun.ac.za/index.php/Gary_Gordon

(Accessed: 10 March 2024).

Giguere, M. (no date) Martha Graham ’ the graham technique, Human Kinetics. Available at:
https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/martha-graham-the-graham-technique (Accessed:
10 March 2024).

SÉRON, J. (no date) Robyn Orlin CHOREOGRAPHER, Robyn Orlin. Available at:
http://www.robynorlin.com/about.htm (Accessed: 10 March 2024).

person763, D. vulture (2023) Technique 1 .PDF - modern dance this is a term to describe
contemporary dance it is a style of dancing where dancers are free to express their: Course
hero, TECHNIQUE 1 .pdf - MODERN DANCE This is a term to describe CONTEMPORARY
DANCE it is a style of dancing where dancers are free to express their | Course Hero. Available
at: https://www.coursehero.com/file/200942684/TECHNIQUE-1pdf/ (Accessed: 10 March
2024).

de Marseille, F. (2019) Gregory Maqoma, Festival de Marseille. Available at:

https://www.festivaldemarseille.com/en/gregory-maqoma_2 (Accessed: 10 March 2024).

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