Julina Kaakunga
Abeautiful rendition by the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) on 19 October showcased a tribute to renowned painter Pablo Picasso and his visual art done in the 20th century.
Picasso, who died 50 years ago, was inspired by the African culture (masks in particular), and in turn influenced the visual art landscape, including Africa.
“It seemed befitting to create an event to make his work a little more known in Namibia, as a lot of people here don’t really know what Picasso did,” said OYO director Phillipe Talavera, adding that the idea was educational.
The dancers showed Picasso’s work through their moves. One of the dancers, Marry Jane Andreas, shared how it was to prepare for such a performance.
“We now had to think of how to bring this image to life, as this was the first time we had done a dance from a painting,” she said.
“Our director came to us and presented us with a portrait, and told us to create something out of it,” observed another dancer, George Williams, who is looking forward to doing more of these projects in the future.
Avehe Muuondjo added her voice, saying: “We had to remind people about the beauty of painting, and the connection it entails”.
Muuondjo described the experience as fun and challenging at the same time, as the director told them to come up with dance moves that would evoke emotion. “It was a bit weird because, how do I come up with movements which show me that I’m at war, without having to speak or show gestures?” she asked humorously.
Dancers immersed the stage with different outfits designed
by Unam students Laimi Ndapunikwa and Laimi Ndinelao Moses, who portrayed Picasso’s artwork and influence on visual arts.
Picasso was a very proficient artist. He transformed visual art, being the father of cubism. He created one of the greatest
artworks against violence and war, called ‘Guernica’.
He also drew the dove that is now used worldwide as a symbol of peace, as well as being the first one to have done collages and exhibited them.
Talavera explained that OYO normally works on social issues such as HIV, teenage pregnancy and gender-based violence. This work, ‘A Picassiana dance’, was very different, he said, adding, “It is abstract, and doesn’t have a prominent meaningful message. However, it was their response to the work of Picasso, and the ideas for the different sections of the piece came from his paintings”.
Talavera credited his “amazing crew” for their first time doing this.
“At the beginning, it was a little bit difficult, as they were trying to understand who Picasso is and his paintings. They later got the hang of it, and it was a fantastic experience for them, and they did brilliantly,” he beamed.
OYO is currently working on their latest output ‘Lukas,’ which will be the next big public project.