Mats Ek’s Soweto<\/i> (1977) is one of the company’s most performed works and was considered a classic on arrival. The work is a protest against racial oppression, inspired by the Soweto uprising in South Africa in June of 1976.<\/p>\n
In the spring of that year students in the Sowetan township began demonstrating against the institution of Afrikaans as the main language to be used in schools. The police responded with violence and hundreds were killed. The Soweto uprising became the prelude to a series of increasingly violent revolts throughout South Africa, spurring on the ensuing dissolution of the apartheid regime and the institution of a democratic government in 1994.<\/p>\n
The entire company danced in Soweto<\/i>, the choreography providing opportunities for multiple variations and solos for each dancer. Themes included joy and sorrow, hope and fear, cohesion and despair. These were choreographically articulated as entangled and intertwingeld in much the same way they are in life.<\/p>\n
Of particular interest was the role of African mother, from whom the group draw strength and inspiration. A life affirming old matriarch who unwaveringly urges and supports the young people to continue their struggle for freedom.<\/p>\n
At age 69, Birgit Cullberg originated the role at the premiere of Soweto<\/i>, and continued to dance in the work until she was 78 years old. In 1986 she danced her final performance of the role at a charity gala for Amnesty International at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm, Sweden.<\/p>\n
The music for Soweto<\/i> was comprised of a carefully compiled mix of modern pop music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mats Ek’s Soweto (1977) is one of the company’s most performed works and was considered a classic on arrival. The work is a protest against racial oppression, inspired by the Soweto uprising in South Africa in June of 1976. In the spring of that year students in the Sowetan township began demonstrating against the institution […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-17649","archived_performance","type-archived_performance","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archived_performance\/17649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archived_performance"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/archived_performance"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms.cullberg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}