Mzamo Nondlwana

"Songs of whales" takes place in a fictional world where a Black queer body emulates an existing reality, a dream-like state. Through communal and personal rituals, the body becomes a vessel for emergent narratives. Mzamo Nondlwana playfully deconstructs the linear concept of time. As the boundaries between personal memories and imagined realities merge, the audience is invited to become part of this mystical journey of re-membering, while at the same time the viewer is encouraged to confront their own perceptions of Black bodies - questioning processes such as othering, fetishization and objectification.

Mzamo Nondlwana is a queer, non-binary artist originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. Nondlwana's work is primarily concerned with marginalized bodies and invisible knowledge. In 2006, Nondlwana began formal training in dance at Moving into dance Mophatong (South Africa). After moving to Salzburg in 2009, Nondlwana completed training at SEAD in contemporary dance and choreography. Nondlwana has collaborated with a wide variety of choreographers, such as, among others, the late Nigel Charnock (co-founder of DV8). In 2016, Nondlwana was awarded the Türbo residency for the solo piece "MY GARDEN FLOURISHES with FLOWERS," which premiered at Tanzquartier in May 2018. Nondlwana is one half of the DJ collective Bisha Boo, which focuses primarily on queer, trans, indigenous, Black, and People of Color.