By Nangamso Mabindla
10 February 2004

EAST Londoners were recently treated to a breathtaking Dare to DanceM extravaganza at the Guild Theatre.

At the end of the show, the capacity crowd was left chanting for more after witnessing one of the finest dancing displays by the local company.

The Guild Theatre Dance Company has been entertaining East Londoners since 1999, and memorable performances have included those at the Grahamstown Arts Festival and the Zhehings 2nd International Sister Cities' Festival in Hangzhou, China.

The evening started with a piece choreographed by Tracy Delport entitled Unity, which reminded the crowd of the importance of peace and standing together in a troubled world.

Conspiracy to Peace, choreographed by Natalie Oberem with Amanda Makubalo singing Amazing Grace, reminded people that power was unity's enemy. Oberem used Jimi Hendrix's famous quote, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world win know peace", to drive her point home.

Since the Eastern Cape prides itself in its rich Xhosa culture, Mziyanda Mancam's Ngaphesheya Kweentaba ("Across the Mountains"), took the crowd back to the days when African boys used to compete against each other far away from their villages by dancing. Mancam explained that the boys used dance establish their strengths, not to make enemies.

Elements, choreographed by Mark Hawkins, and Vuka ("Wake up"), which is a follow-up piece to President Thabo Mbeki's statement: "Vuk'uzenzele" (wake up and do something for yourself), showed the brilliance of the talent the city had to offer.

The penultimate dance, Endulo/Calabash, reminded people of the value of culture. Thembinkosi Puwane says that while in the past there used to be special calabash that was only to be used by elders, "nowadays it has no value, all cultures have access to it and the ancestors seem to be fine with it".

But the ultimate dance of the evening was Israeli teachers and choreographers Yuval and Liesl Beck's Duality, which brought together two different dance principles, tap and jazz.