OYO honours French icon through dance

The music of French singer-songwriter Michel Berger was at the centre of Ombetja Yehinga Organisation’s ‘Discovering Michel’ at the National Theatre of Namibia last week.

Layering a story of love, loss, purpose, regret and resistance below Berger’s music made popular during the 1970s and 80s, ‘Discovering Michel’ was less a factual story of the singer’s life than it was an introduction and celebration of his music.

To this end, director and choreographer, Philippe Talavera engaged an extensive ensemble. Presenting the captivating talents of lead dancers Desmond Kamerika and Mary Jane Andreas, who ignited the stage in a whir of weightless lifts, sensual duets and skillful solos, ‘Discovering Michel’ featured over 60 performers.

The show included 15 dancers, three singers, five musicians and the Michel Youth Choir, comprised of choristers from Jan Jonker Afrikaner Secondary School, Immanuel Shifidi Secondary School and St Paul’s College.

While the music’s French lyrics performed by Clémentine Ruel, Galilei Njembo and Lucie Machart were inaccessible to non-French speakers in the audience, the story itself, brought to life in well synchronised dance numbers and dynamic scenes, was easy to follow.

Michel (Kamerika), a humble factory worker falls in love with Stella (Andreas), a co-worker, who is also being wooed by a wealthy businessman played by Joe ‘White’ Nakapela. Caught between love and the philandering businessman who can provide financial sustainability, Stella must choose a partner and her initial choice leads to tragedy.

Exploring themes of mental health, living as one’s true self and seeking the love that truly sees and nurtures us, ‘Discovering Michel’ celebrates those who are often made to feel like outcasts in society by virtue of their pay cheque, sex work, status as an orphan, homelessness, single motherhood or their queer identity, as illustrated through a special guest appearance by the sparkling Miss Mavis Dash (Rodelio Lewis).

From a dance perspective, the hard work of the Ombetja Yehinga Organisation (OYO) was evident. The dance sequences were energetic, synchronised and emotive, and did well as the common language of the story. Kamerika and Andreas in particular were splendid and their central chemistry was bolstered by the wonderful dance ensemble of Nakapela, Ethan Philander, George Williams, Jeffrey Ndjahera, Sophia Janser and a stand-out Sydney Farao, among the extended troupe.

Considering the music primarily performed by Ruel, this layer was hit and miss. While Ruel’s voice can certainly be pleasant and strong, and the singer was lovely and game, her performance had moments of pitchiness only partly explained by the original music.

The trio of Njembo, Machart and Ruel also left something to be desired, most likely rehearsal to work on balance and harmony, as well as to decide on a clear lead voice or voices within their segment.

Also featuring Jesús Lasso Rey on the fiddle, the Hot Pocket Band and costume design by Karolina Katumbo, ‘Discovering Michel’ was OYO doing what it does best. That is dancing through an educational and down-to-earth story meant to reflect the times we live in and inspire change.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com