WONDAR LAB III

PERFORMANCES FOR NIGHTLIFE VENUES

JULY 2024

AT DAR ES SALAAM

THE FACILITATORS

SOUTH AFRICA

JULY 15th TO 19TH, 2024

The workshop explores how ideas are created, narratives are made, and stories are consumed. Participants engage with a variety of exercises over several days, working with found, sourced, and created materials—objects, sounds, text, etc.—to transform and share narratives. Rather than aiming for a finished product, they generate a collage of ideas to draw from for future work. Each day begins with a prompt, framing the workshop as a space to stay open, explore, and resist conclusions.

Koleka Putuma is a celebrated South African poet, playwright, and theatre practitioner known for her fearless exploration of themes like homophobia, womanhood, race, and politics. Her debut poetry collection, Collective Amnesia (2017), won the 2018 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry, was named Book of the Year by City Press, and has been translated into eight languages. Her second collection, Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come In (2021), continues to challenge norms with its sharp language and impactful imagery. Among her many accolades, Putuma is a Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honoree, a Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner, and a Rolex Arts Initiative finalist. She also founded Manyano Media, a company dedicated to empowering and promoting stories by Black queer women.

KENYA - USA

JULY 24th TO 30th, 2024

This choreography workshop centers on the joy of exploring site-specific dance, encouraging participants to trust their creative instincts, take risks, and deepen their awareness of self and space. Using personal and collective stories as inspiration, participants will craft short solos, guided by games and exercises drawn from theatre, visual art, writing, and music. This approach allows them to explore their unique voices as artists, critical thinkers, and leaders.

 

Wanjiru Kamuyu, a native Kenyan artist based in Paris, is an associate artist at the National Choreographic Center of Nantes (France) and a Live Feed artist with New York Live Arts (USA). She began her career in New York, performing with notable artists such as Jawole Willa Jo Zollar (Urban Bush Woman), Bill T. Jones, Okwui Okpokwasili, Robyn Orlin, Bartabas, and Stefanie Batten Bland, among others. Kamuyu has also appeared in TV, industrials, and musicals, including The Lion King in Paris and FELA! across Europe and the U.S. She founded WKcollective, which collaborates with camin aktion in Montpellier, touring her choreographic works internationally.