A Dance, a Tear, and a Laugh, what more could one ask for in a day?

So I have deciphered the Code that is the Grahamstown festival and what a relief! Got up this morning, had residence breakfast (awful, I am too use to staying in hotels where people actually care about what you think of the place), and set out to find the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. And boy did I find it.

I had this whole thing wrong. Stupid me thought if you are in Grahamstown for the festival everyone around town, especially the locals would be ready to serve the out-of-towners and point them in the right direction. Wrong, you are on your own and you need to have the programme to have an inkling of what the hell is going on.

Stupid me also thought that for the duration of my trip here I can leave by Volkswagen and walk around from venue to venue to enjoy the shows that I needed to see. Wrong again. If you do not have a car you are fucked. Okay maybe not because I did see a few signs that indicated that there were shuttles around town that could take you where you needed to be.

So, today was my first real festival experience and I have to say, I have been spoilt by our filtering system where some person, with a whole lot of patience decides what is worth taking to the masses (whether it be to ArtsScape or the Market Theatre or what ever), and what is not so cool. The value is also that you put a piece of art on show and with the audience feedback and some editing your show has more of a mass appeal. I do not have the patience and I am struggling to see that value.

So yes, Grahamstown is open to all, to any, to what ever. I do not know what the process is to get in as a performer but I felt it is a large testing ground for new untested material that can go either way.

My experience today taught me that. Before something gets to be a full blown success, it needs to be tested at the Gtown fes.

Three shows in one day and I did not even begin to scrape the surface of what is on show. For that I will be disappointed.

On the dance side I went for the Dance to the Rain Queen, production by Moses Molelekwa Arts Foundation. He was there in spirit on the percussion. The piece was two thirds jazz (my Jazz appreciation is still evolving), and one third dance. It is listed as ‘dance’. That was my one and only disappointment because I am still schooling myself in the very intellectual area of Jazz enjoyment. Although I do think experiencing live music is better than anything and can get you into any type of music. To see and feel the passion of the various musicians enjoying and doing their thing is a gift from musical mother earth (or Musical God, or mathematics, which ever you prefer). The show was even more amazing because the people that were performing could not have been older that 20. All I could do was imagine them at say thirty-something and doing their thing. The sky is the limit and with passion, talent and a focus, they could be great. I wish the kids there the best in the world and I hope to see some of them in the not so distant future. Maybe at the Cape Town Jazz?

On the Tear side I went to go see the adaptation to stage of the novel the Quite Violence of Dreams. I am too close to this and recognise that an objective view of it (when am I ever objective?) is impossible. Tiring, self indulgent and it makes me less understanding, less empathetic. Why can’t people just get over themselves. I was meant to read the book but did not finish it (this is true of many other great books that have been left unfinished with the book mark still protruding from where I left off, mocking me). Now that I have seen the play I am extremely guiltily glad that I did not finish the book. What a load of crap. I appreciate that others saw something else in this book, something great that needed to be transferred to another medium. All I am saying is…what is the fucking point? I do not get it, it did not get me and that is that. That is both on the book and the play. The performances on the other hand…We had Duke Motlanthe, Lebo Mashile and others who were really great! Really brave. I admire that. There were moments in the theater where there were scenes that made people uncomfortable (this was most palatable on the M2M kisses, which is really stupid. I did not get the same winces on the Black on White Kisses) and I suppose the cast knew how the audience would react but they did not cut short the kisses. The play ended off on a high note with an insignificant word invested in a very meaningful emotional note. I just did not get it, and that is my problem.

Then enter the lowlight of the evening. I was sitting at the drama department cafeteria pondering what to do next, could I finish my food in time to watch this one or that one or something else? 'Short Skirts and High Heels' caught my eye and off I went. This show has no redeeming qualities except for the promise of some nudity of which there is none. Go back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Gtown festival. I am not sure how I feel about that. I miss Cape Town but I love being on holiday and hopping to see what South Africa is putting on the arts scene.