Written by Zigizendoda Radebe on 29 May 2020

What do you get when a world-wide pandemic forcibly causes people to stay indoors and limits interactions and movement? You get creatives who find opportunities even when backed in a corner. They have no choice but to dig deep inside to find new ways of expressing themselves in order to communicate with the rest of the world.

Meet Khayalethu Ndlovu, a 28-year-old South African performer and artist who is well-versed in Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, and African Dance Studies. Khaya has decided to respond to the sudden changes that she has experienced due to the Covid-19 outbreak by collaborating with UJ (University Of Johannesburg) on their Pandemic Project with her work entitled ‘Lockdown’

It is the result of limited movement which forces one to dive into the deeper recesses of the mind and reflect on the situation at hand. A situation that we are all facing. At first glance, you don’t really know what to expect, but it doesn’t take long for the imagery to kick in and you find yourself fully immersed in the video and its message about “being in a confined space when you are used to being out and free”

You can tell that Khaya worked on the script and choreography in a way that gets you thinking, starts a conversation, or evokes something within you. We enjoyed it and hope that you do too.