June 2011

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Gibson Muriva’s Sisi Quickens the Pulse and Touches the Heart

Interview by Mosa McNeilly
Photograph by Sean Richardson

If applause is any indication, the Muriva Dance Company was a highlight of the In The Park series. Their moving piece paints a portrait of four sisters and their brother, it is athletic, sensual and narrative - a seamless afro-contemporary fusion. As a dancer and choreographer, Gibson Muriva’s work is rooted in the rhythmical power and groundedness of African dance, while his beautiful form and strong technique are shaped by ballet and contemporary dance. If you were lucky enough to catch Sisi, you will understand why this artist is beginning to make a name for himself in Montreal.

MM: You have chosen to pursue contemporary dance, with a background in traditional African dance and ballet. What is so compelling about contemporary dance for you?

GM: Ballet made me humble and made me understand my body. But there is a point where you might be fighting your body. So, what if you try just being yourself? Forget about all the technique and just start to move. That’s my point, when working with my dancers. We have a story to tell and we need to bring the human being into the piece, not just the dancer, like a machine. We need people to see us as the people in the story. The dancers need to have the technique to do it, but the audience needs to see the dancer as someone like them.

MM: When you choreograph, what informs your artistic process? Does it begin with an idea, a movement theme, music? How does it evolve?

GM: When I do a piece, I research and bring photos and videos, so when we go to the movement, everyone has some knowledge of the subject. When I created Sisi I brought photos of my sisters and my mother. Sometimes I don’t tell the dancers much and I start with movement. Sometimes I show the photos first without saying anything, and then we go to movement. Most times, music comes at the end. Sometimes I don’t find the music, so I create it. If you create the music first, you will be squared in by it, because everything has to fit the music. But if the movement comes first, you can stretch the music here and there to fit.

MM: Your choreography is a real fusion of African and contemporary movement – not a juxtaposition, but a weaving together. I think you’re onto something here. You are crafting a new dance form.

GM: Yes, that’s my goal. That’s what I’m doing right now, creating my own vocabulary, my own voice. I have wondered, should I be using this term, afro-contemporary? But I decided, yes, and it’s for people to decide what they think.

MM: Could you tell me about your dance beginnings in Zimbabwe, and how your training and your career progressed? How did you land in Montreal?

GM: Since I was a kid, I grew up dancing. My mother worked in a community centre, and used to teach dance to the kids in the community. Then I went to the National Ballet of Zimbabwe at the age of 17, and studied ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, and from there, that is my life - dance. I joined the Tumbuka Dance Company in Zimbabwe in 1997. We traveled to Europe, South America, and all over Africa. We did a piece called Fire , which was controversial. Because of certain gestures in the dance, we were seen as supporters of the MDC (Democratic Movement for Change). I came to Canada in 2003 and danced with Decidedly Jazz in Calgary, then went to the UK in 2005, where I worked with Tavaziva Dance Company, directed by Bawren Tavaziva, who I knew from home. I couldn’t go back to Zimbabwe because of the political problems there. I ended up choosing to live in Montreal in 2007. In 2008, I was selected by Montreal Intercultural Groups to develop Sisi into a 55-minute piece. That helped me a lot.

MM: Sisi addresses barriers women face in Zimbabwe, and in the developing world, in general. Sisi means sister, in the Shona language. Could you tell the story of how your sisters inspired this piece?

GM: My oldest sister was married at 15 with her teacher. There is no law to say that this cannot happen, because our culture is designed for women to fail, not to succeed. Even if a woman wants to go to school, she will just end up staying at home and looking after the kids. So, this is what struck me the most with my sisters. We are so close. We don’t have this line between us, that is between men and women. If I tell them, “You can do this and this, because I have seen other women who do well,” that is good for them to know. I had to do this piece because I have 8 nieces, from two of my sisters who died, and I imagine them going into the same trap. I’m like the father, so I tell them they need to understand that they can make choices. They will start dating soon. And AIDS is big in Zimbabwe. I know for sure it will be hard to make men understand. It would mean that women will become aware of what the men are doing, and stand up and have their freedom.

MM: Are there other issues that you would like to bring to light with your work?

GM: I am working on a piece called Nyau. It is about initiation rituals. In my country, if I’m 14 or 15 years old, I have to join Nyau, and they will circumcise me to become a member of the community. It is the same with women, but if they refuse, where will they go? Nyau is part of the Chewa society, part of Muslim culture. There are lots of women who don’t want to be circumcised, who fight against it, who run away, but there is nowhere to go. Some of them become prostitutes. I am working on another piece, a solo piece, working title, Rebel , that deals with political situations in Africa. As a choreographer I am trying to bring awareness to people, to make people aware of what is happening in Africa.

MM: Have you encountered any obstacles in your development as a dancer/choreographer in Montreal?

GM: So many, but number one, I could just be a dancer, which I refuse to be - I want to dance for myself. And I’m a choreographer. To make my own work as a choreographer, I need tools, which I don’t have. I need to have a studio, to pay my dancers. It’s like a blessing from my dancers, they understand my situation, they love to dance. They appreciate what they are receiving from me and I am very happy with what I receive from them. Montreal is a big city. You have to work hard to get your name out there.

MM: What is your advise to dancers of African descent who feel that ballet is not part of their culture and don’t want to include it in their training?

GM: I did ballet in school, but I never forgot my traditional dances. I had to understand, it’s a language, it’s a totally different language. If you want to be a great dancer, you have to be open-minded, learn different things, make those bridges between different cultures. You develop easily when you have different dances in your body.

MM: Why aren’t there any black dancers in your company? Has it been hard to find dancers with the training or the commitment that you are looking for?

GM: There are lots of black dancers in Montreal. We are from different cultures, we have different traditional dances – from Senegal, Guinea - they have people who follow them, they are popular already, they’re giving their own classes. The first time I did Sisi, it was with four black women. But they had their own work on the side, and I was looking for people who would grow with me, who would be committed. I started to look for different dancers, who want to do this work with me and work hard. It’s like planting something and waiting for it to grow. That’s the only way we can find ourselves, our audience and get known.

MM: When you came to Guelph in March to perform at the GCDF’s CSA Nooner Series at the University of Guelph, you performed Sisi, the full 55-minute work. You did an excerpt of same piece at the festival. What was different about performing In The Park?

GM: There was definitely more vibe in the park. We knew that we would perform on concrete in the park so we practiced on concrete to prepare. We didn’t want to be surprised. We wore kneepads and shoes, and removed movement that would be too hard on the concrete.

MM: You were also the featured dance artist for the Arts Explosion March Break Camp. You worked with all age groups, and set an excerpt of Sisi on the Dance Focus youth dancers involved in the camp. Now that you have performed at the festival, seen the main stage performances, and given a dance workshop, you have participated in so many aspects of the festival, what do you come away with?

GM: This is truly a great thing for me, for people to see my work and see where I am coming from. Sharing with the dance camp youth was so, so good for me, such an opportunity, because I was young, too, once. They are growing up. They will pass it on to others. Even if they haven’t been to Africa, they will know something.

MM: Are there any trends in movement in contemporary dance that you are currently exploring?

GM: I want to remain old school in my style. I cannot say it is up to date. Last night when I saw David Earle’s piece, I was so impressed; there is something very old in his style. They have their own style. I could see in the different pieces, people are moving with the time, updating everyday, but for me, I just need to be still; I can remain here until I master this and then move on.

MM: Dance has brought you all over the world. As your journey unfolds, what’s ahead?

GM: The more I get myself grounded here, I can share my work all over Canada. It’s hard work that lies ahead, and no looking back. Dance has taught me a lot in life. It’s like fishing. When you fish, you don’t expect to catch anything. You can sit all day fishing, and somebody can come in ten minutes and just catch something. Just have to be humble. That’s what I can say.

Watching Gibson in rehearsal, setting a piece on a group of dancers, one is struck by his quiet confidence, and can sense that there is a deep resource within him that informs his work. It is apparent that he carries the hopes and dreams of many within him when he moves, and when he creates. I imagine his ancestors inhabit him and populate his work with their rejoicing. He is a son of the soil advancing in their honour.

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