17 October 2019. Cion at Barbican

I went along with no real concept of what this 'requiem to Ravel's Bolero' would be like. Set amongst simple wooden crosses to evoke a cemetary, the eight dancers and their leader Gregory Maqoma created an extraordinary atmosphere and spectacle. With deeply rhythmic music from Beatboxer Siphiwe Nkabinde and his three colleagues, the ensemble had the audience pretty well spellbound for 70 minutes. The finale of rhythmic on-the-spot dancing was quite amazing and drew a deserved standing ovation.