WE MUST EAT OUR SUCKERS WITH THE WRAPPERS ON...
A dedicated South African artist, Robyn Orlin
has transformed choreography and performance art in
her country, revealing and stigmatising its contradictory
reality. Her provocative themes and her stage – a place
where the universes of whites and blacks, with their
respective stereotypes, often collide – have become
famous all over the world. Orlin’s unique titles, such as:
If you can’t change the world change your curtains
(1990); The explosion of stars is not only reserved for
ticket holders (1994); Daddy, I’ve seen this piece six
times and still don’t know why they are hurting each
other (1999); The future may be bright, but it’s not
necessarily orange!!! (2001)... are also very evocative.
We must eat our suckers with the wrappers on... (2001)
– which borrows its title from a saying popular in the
townships of Johannesburg – is a work rich with
‘sexually transmissible’ allusions. It is a requiem for
Aids, an act of mourning and a celebration, which
also allows us sympathy but keeps us worrying.
Performed by fifteen young South African dancers from
Market Theatre Laboratory, it uses authentic township
vocabulary: traditional singing, feet- and bucket-generated
percussion, lyrics straight out of a public information
commercial, handmade toys for sonic and scenic effect,
together with a whole lot of red tempura...Throughout
the performance, a webcam moves between the stage
and the audience, mixing random images of ‘us’ and
‘them’ (and lollipops). The piece is laced with humour
and charm, but hidden behind it is a cry for help from a
ravaged country, in the face of the politicians’ abdication
of responsibility, and the world’s questionable engagement
in the African Aids problem. The audience literally
becomes an integral part of the work. Our physical space
is ‘invaded’ by dancers and the ‘death threat’. We are
confronted with inflated over-sized condoms with faces
painted on, and are offered suckers, without the wrappers
on. We may also find ourselves on the projected
‘close-ups’...
Milijana Babić
Concept, choreography and direction: Robyn Orlin
Performers: Market Theatre Laboratory
Co-producers: City Theatre & Dance Group; Théâtre de la Ville / Paris; Rencontres Choréographiques
Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis; FNB / Dance Umbrella
Organisation: Cankarjev dom
In collaboration with: City of Women
