Two Strangers are waiting on a quiet train station platform; he is listening to his “favourite moments” playlist and she is reading a novel about their life.
May I Have This Dance follows the story of a Millenial couple as they attempt to navigate the tricky terrain of co-dependence, communication, love and loss.
“Blending contemporary dance and theatre, May I Have This Dance is an intricate and delicate exploration and condition of the human condition and psyche. ” – The Herald Live
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Producer: The Outlore
Script: Kimberley Buckle
Direction: Kimberley Buckle & Liam Tamejen Gillespie
Choreography: Liam Tamejen Gillespie
Performers: Nkosinathi Mazwai & Amber Morgan
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Show Bio:
May I Have This Dance is a theatre production by The Outlore that follows the life of a millennial couple who are attempting to navigate delicate psychological terrain, exploring the complexities of childhood trauma’s effect on romantic relationships and exposing communication as a tool for connection or a weapon for isolation. The story jumps through time, briefly pausing to allow the audience a window into the two characters current states of mind and the condition of their relationship. The production is a hybrid of drama and dance.
The concept for May I Have This Dance was born into existence when the two founding members of The Outlore, Liam Tamejen Gillespie (choreographer) & Kimberley Buckle (playwright), compared their two creative passions (dialogue & dance) and wondered if the two could co-exists and bear equal storytelling weight in a production, which then turned into endless discussions about communication, self-expression, love languages, and how important understanding and compassion play in building and maintaining a relationship. This was the inspiration for the style of the production and the material within.
May I Have This Dance has been performed in The Galloway Theatre, Theatre Arts, and received a Silver Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in 2022.
The Outlore Bio:
In short, we are a production and creative company. We met in college where we studied theatre and after going solo for a couple of years we came together to create The Outlore. Our creative collaboration began in the heat of lockdown as an attempt to create work for ourselves and our peers, who had all been unemployed due to the effects of the worldwide pandemic. After a very successful first production, we officially founded our company: The Outlore.
The name comes from the splicing together of two terms that inspire us: Outlaw & Folklore. An Outlaw; a rule breaker, a risk taker, an outcast. Folklore; mythology, stories passed through time, tales of mystery. Take these two concepts and you get An Outlore; an individual or collective who creates in the shadows and who seeks out conventions to break. An Outlore’s focus is on forging work that is unapologetically cutting edge, without having to be sustained by applause and accolade. We believe that the work should speak for itself. We are not here to create a moment, we are here to sustain a movement. The world of theatre has shifted dramatically and the future of the landscape is unclear. The only way that theatre and live entertainment can thrive is through reinvention. We want to
be a part of this reinvention and pushing creative boundaries is the only way forward in this exciting new terrain.
Writer’s Bio:
Kimberley Buckle is a co-founder and director of The Outlore; a Cape Town based production company, and the co-owner of The Outlore Base; a Fringe Theatre Space in Cape Town CBD. Under The Outlore brand, Kimberley has written & directed several theatrical pieces; Failure to Lunch, Fragments, May I Have This Dance, The Curse of Camp Hellfire, The Muses, and most recently XCODE. Kimberley is no stranger to the National Arts Festival having directed three productions; EDGES (Outstanding Direct 2015), Gardening & Other Distractions, Benji, & May I Have This Dance (Silver Ovation Award 2022).
Choreographer’s Bio:
Liam Tamejen Gillespie is a co-founder and director of Cape Town based production company, The Outlore. He began his professional career performing with The Kalk Bay Theatre in numerous productions; Nior, Another Day, You Should Be Dancing, Man Band, and Bijou, and he was fortunate enough to travel the world with The Secret Silk aboard Princess Cruises. Liam co-founded The Outlore in 2020 and since then has choreographed multiple productions including; Fragments (underground dance production), May I Have This Dance (hybrid production), The Curse of Camp Hellfire (cabaret), The Muses (Drag Show), Can’t Stand Still (Children’s Theatre Production) and XCODE (an immersive theatrical experience). Liam’s latest venture is as owner of an Independent Theatre in the heart of Cape Town.
Performers Bio’s:
Nkosinathi Mazwai hails from Johannesburg, but make the move to Cape Tow to study the Performing Arts. In 2021, Nkosinathi received a Fleur du Cap nomination for Award for Most Promising Student. Since graduating, Nkosinathi has performed with The Kalk Bay Theatre in Noise, Sizzle & Another Day, he performed in Abrahamse & Meyer Productions retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and has been working extensively in Cape Town’s Corporate dance scene. Nkosinathi makes his return to the National Arts Festival with May I Have This Dance, which was award a Silver Ovation Award in 2022.
Amber Morgan graduated from The Waterfront Theatre School in 2019 with qualifications in Tap Dance, Modern, & Ballet, and began teaching Tap Dance at BBATA. Amber has featured as a dancer in concept videos by A&B Productions (MARCH ON & VIENNA) and The Outlore (ENEMY), as well as a short film for JAN Innovation Studio & Spekko Rice. Amber has just returned from India, where she performed for the IPL. Amber is reprising her role in May I Have This Dance (Silver Ovation Award 2022) for the National Arts Festival 2023.
