For Pina, South African dancer Kwanele Finch Thusi entered into conversation with Black men of different ages. He used their stories, power, movement abd dance expressions as inspiration for his new performance. In Pina  – a sole and a duet – he shows the vulnerability and softness of the black man, his identity and body. For Thusi, his own black queer identity is the starting point for all his creative dance work.

Quote van Kwanele Finch Thusi

“PINA asks for a revision around prehistoric implications that still subjugate the black person as ‘less than, inadequate and to be feared’. As black people, our bodies are still seen as exotic exhibitions for freedom.

Within these parameters, the black body is seen through the eyes of pain and trauma. I ask the complicated questions in this work, what do you see when you look at me? With so much of conflict that arose in 2020 & 2021, the black live matter movement underpinned the necessity and purpose of this work”.

Credits

Choreography:         Kwanele Finch Thusi
Dance:                        Kwanele Finch Thusi, Kgosimang Clinton Flietor
Length:                      solo 40 min, duet 40 min