THE HANGOVER REPORT – In THE SACRIFICE, South Africa’s Dada Masilo soulfully takes on “The Rite of Spring” by way of Pina Bausch and Tswana dance

Dada Masilo (center) in “The Sacrifice” at The Joyce Theater (photo by John Hogg).

Last night, Dada Masilo returned to The Joyce Theater for a weeklong run of her latest creation The Sacrifice. The South African dancer and choreographer has made a name for herself by reimagining some of the most iconic works of Western dance (e.g., Giselle, Swan Lake). Now New York dance fans can experience her soulful take onThe Rite of Spring, which comes by way of Pina Bausch’s celebrated version.

Although the only direct reference to Stravinsky’s game-changing score I caught was in the piece’s opening moments (hummed by powerful soprano Ann Masina, who was excessively over-amplified on opening night), its influence is evident throughout the work’s new score (credited to Masina, Leroy Mapholo, Tlale Makhene, and Nathi Shongwe), particularly its complex, restlessly shifting rhythms. In her interpretation, Masilo mines traditional Tswana dance traditions in a way that’s fresh, both expanding upon and bringing welcome specificity to the otherwise vague scenario of a woman sacrificed to induce the arrival of spring. Aside from the music, the primary difference between The Sacrifice and other iterations of The Rite of Spring I’ve come across is its gentler, less menacing and relentless tone. Indeed, the show’s first half is playful and joyous in its depiction of a South African community. And although there’s sorrow in the evitable sacrifice, there’s also tenderness and serene reverence through it all.

Throughout the hourlong show, the dancing was vivid and alive — and in terrific communion with the exceptional live onstage music-making. Masilo as “the chosen one” was as magnetic as ever, dancing with both vulnerability and sensuous strength. Her choreography for The Sacrifice comes across as both robustly contemporary and an homage to South African ritualistic dance. Altogether, it moved the narrative forward in an organic, painterly manner that never felt contrived.

RECOMMENDED

DADA MASILO: THE SACRIFICE
Dance
The Joyce Theater
1 hour, 5 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 28

Categories: Dance

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