Not since Robyn Orlin won an Oliver Award in London, in 2003, has South African dance been acknowledged at the highest international level.
Now Mzansi has the equivalent of New York's dance Oscars under its belt. Recently Joburg composer Anthony Caplan was amazed to have been singled out at The Bessies, aka the New York Dance and Performance Awards, for his composition for and performance of Vincent Sekwati Koko Mantsoe's Men-Jaro.
This work, which had its world premiere at the 2006 FNB Dance Umbrella, has been performed, along with Caplan's African Music Workshop Ensemble, in Europe and in February toured the US and Canada. Men-Jaro's New York season and residency caught the Bessies panel's eyes and ears.
This award was collected at The Joyce Theatre on September 17 on Caplan's behalf by his cousin, Lauren Reichman.
The citation, which was read to the astonished composer and ethnomusicologist over the phone during the ceremony, reads: "For bringing indigenous South African instruments to life and allowing audiences to experience rare traditions first-hand; for the courage to meld the traditional with the contemporary in new ways in 651 ARTS and Danspace Project's presentation of Vincent Mantsoe's Men-Jaro."
Commenting on this achievement this Rhodes University music graduate who works as a composer, music director, musician and teacher says: "Winning this award means a great deal to me. I feel that my work is now valued by a larger community. As an artist there is no better reward. Thank you, New York."
The continent was doubly honoured at the 2007 Bessies.
Contemporary African dance icon, Germaine Acogny, who continues to have strong ties with South Africa through her school in Senegal, was lauded with co-choreographer Kota Yamazaki for Fagaala, which deals with xenophobia, intolerance and the Rwandan genocide. Danced by Acogny's Company Jant-Bi Fagaala was well received here at Durban's 2005 Jomba Contemporary Dance Experience and at Joburg's 2005 Arts Alive Dance Festival, at The Dance Factory.
In New York Fagaala was presented by 651 ARTs and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).
Other winners of choreographer/creator Bessies included the Bill T Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company's Chapel/Chapter (Harlem Stage); Mark Morris's Mozart Dances (Mostly Mozart Festival, Lincoln Centre); Doug Varonne's Boats Leaving (The Joyce Theatre) and Saburo Teshigawara's Bones in Pages (Lincoln Centre Festival).
William Forsythe was singled out for the only installation and new media award for his You Made Me a Monster at the Baryshnikov Arts Centre.
The other winning composers were Dietrick Kruger and Niels Lanz for William Forsythe's Three Atmospheric Studies (at BAM) and Zeena Parkins for her body of work and "taking choreographer composer collaborations to a new level of intimacy through her piercing aural insights".
The 23-year-old Bessies, are named in honour of legendary teacher and mentor Bessie Schonberg Varley (1906-1997).
The Bessies committee comprises presenters, curators, writers and artists who voluntarily view and discuss performances they have seen through the year.
Every season (from July to the following June) they attend 2 000 performances by over 1 000 artists. No finalists are announced before the ceremony during which the winners are announced.
