Soweto Street Beat Dancers Plug In to Pure, Raw Power

The operative word of Soweto Street Beat Dance Theatre, an exuberant company of 11 musicians and dancers who made their West Coast debut at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium on Saturday, is raw. And, according to artistic director-choreographer Isabelle Doll Ngcobo, that is how she likes it.

Founded in 1989 by Doll and husband Peter B. Ngcobo, this enterprising company recruits and trains men from the streets of Soweto. The dancers, now based in Atlanta, are spirited and dynamic--in essence, the real deal. Indeed, the four-part program proved a joyous affair, with viewers hooting, whistling and clapping their hearts out.

“Bushman Dance” featured bodies in spasm, with high-testosterone shimmying and ankle rattles enhancing an already feral display, the men slinking across the stage in perpetual motion to the sounds of drums and gourds.

“Gumboots (Mine Dance),” saw the charismatic Siphiwe Ngcobo leading a crew of hard-hatted dancers quivering like aspic on Dexedrine. A predecessor to step dancing, this work includes a lot of boot-stomping, calf-slapping and unison line formations. Nine-year old Leroy Ngcobo (the founders’ son), accompanied on drums, wailing in a virtuosic solo.

The showy “Zulu Warrior” featured the performers in traditional costumes of animal skins and pelts, their feather headdresses bobbing as they leaped and zealously stalked the stage to complex polyrhythms, giving new meaning to the word animated.

Building to an unrestrained, flamboyant finale, “Upiyani (Piano Dance),” had the men performing acrobatic elbow- and headstands, executing flashy barrel turns, and demonstrating an amazing array of jumps, ranging from straight-up leaps with legs curled under to jumping on all fours and ending in splits--an awesome display.