Maitisong was the place to be this past weekend as Maru a Pula School drama students and a selected few others put on a stellar performance with the help of students from Julliard Black Student Union in New York.
The show, titled Tapestry, was a complete sell out on opening night.
The principal of Maru a Pula, Andy Taylor, gave the opening remarks and reminded the students and parents at Maitisong how Maru a Pula stands on a pillar of excellence.
The show consisted of five acts.
The student dazzled the crowd with a number of modern dance pieces. The nerves did show as a couple of performers lost their words and had to recite them again. However, that did not tarnish what was overall an impressive display of dance acting and singing.
The show was as diverse on stage as the people who were in attendance with Maitisong also attracting the ambassadors of France and of the United States of America.
The show began with a number of various monologues on how theatre helps to empower people. In one of the acts, the performers compared the reaction of friends hearing that their friend had big acting dreams. In the first instance, the students’ hopes were shut down by her friends who believed she wouldn’t make it because she is in Africa and, in comparison, in the USA, the friends of the aspiring actress already seemed welcoming to the idea and already began setting plans as to how to milk their friends possible new found fame.
The young exuberant students also acted a scenario where a girl had fallen in love with a boy who continuously brings up lame excuses for not seeing her, eventually her conscience and her friends begin to tell her that he is not worthy of her love.
In another highlight, the young girls paid tribute to their mothers through monologues describing how powerful and influential their mothers have been to them.
The dance routines in some of the acts seemed bizarre as two students from Julliard twisted and contorted their bodies, stretching their legs, reaching out.
For male dancers to be performing these kinds of routines might have seemed weird in any other environment but in Maitisong the crowd fell silent and was awestruck by the graceful and ballet movement of the two men.
The rhythm of the dance and songs were synchronized and all the dancing ended right when the song finished.
The students’ smiles seemed to show that the students were there to enjoy themselves as much as to put on a show, which was good to see.
The night included an up close but offstage performance, which was also given a soulful sound as the performers had an Elvis Presley-like song, with the male dominant singer, backed up by two female singers, an electric guitar player and a Maru-a Pula alumni on the piano. The tempo was upbeat and set to remind ladies that not all men are deceitful.
The show ended with the complete set of performers on stage singing, accompanied by an electric guitar and piano.
Maru a Pula can hold its head up and say they did not only do themselves justice but the nation proud by showcasing such an event and displaying an abundance of talent.
