“Sawubona 2.0,” by Ryan Johnson
HATCH Spring Concert
April 11-13, 2024
Title: Sawubona 2.0
Choreographer: Ryan Johnson
Music: Section One: The Human Body by Ryan Johnson performed by company.
Section Two: Warrior by Themba Mkhatshwas
Section Three: Thief by Rancido
Lighting Design: Ryan K Johnson and Jonathon Hunter
Dancers: Evelyn Couch, Kennedy Gordon, Sydney Jones-Rumph, Valeria Kozak, Grace Morrell, Emma Morrow, Isabella Seitz, Destiny Thomas, Ashton Wise, Ava Wishnow and Ryan K. Johnson
Notes on the piece: Sawubona is a Zulu greeting meaning “I see you,” and the response “Yebo,” meaning “I see you seeing me.” In a world where many feel invisible, Sawubona is a highly energetic performance exploration of music and movement rooted in ancestral memory, embodied storytelling, and African Diasporic Percussive Dance, celebrating community and individual expression to allow our authentic selves to thrive. This piece is a celebration of black dance, culture, and physical practices that have historically been Othered by academia. Through Percussive Dance, the dancing body becomes a source of liberation, shedding and releasing the many masks we all wear. I dedicate this work to anyone suffering in silence, those who feel invisible, and my uncle Art, who transitioned to the spiritual realm on March 19, 2024.
To the dancers, Sawubona!
Videography and edit by Brianna Rosato