What can we hear in the silence?
LOUD SILENCE
Directed by Adam Chienjo
Choreography by Maina Kariuki (Gaddafi)
Loud Silence is a mixed ability contemporary dance piece exploring using silence as a form of expression in Kenyan politics, especially regarding taboo political subjects. Directed by Adam Chiengo, who has re-shaped the Kenyan dance narrative, and performed by Gaddafi & Paul Mabwa, this piece is designed to stimulate conversations on the cause and effect of civil silence in times of significant and unpopular political shifts.
Previously performed at the National Theatre during 2023’s Dance Life Festival and developed from a workshop of a previous Dance Life Festival, Loud Silence is as much theatre as it is dance. The show is an intentionally inclusive duet, featuring two men with mixed physical abilities locked up in jail. Gadaffi (Maine Kariuki) is a senior dancer in his 60s and choreographer of this piece. Mabwa is a paraplegic performer. The intriguing piece works with the performers’ varying abilities, rather than trying to hide their differences. Thus the show, as well as addressing it’s main purported topic, silent expression, also challenges the barriers of ageism and ableism in dance, and aims to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sector.
29 May 2024 6:00 – 7:00 pm | Alliance Française, Utali Ln. (CBD) FREE ENTRY