SEASON 2 of the Jive Culture Shock is going to be amazing.
This past week I got to sit in on some of the teams’ rehearsals at the Artscape Theatre and they are going all out to enhance the traditional items, Nederlandslied and the moppie, which are the main items in the finale.
Judge Boeta Armien Vardien was moved to tears by one of the teams and said that if they continue to perform this way come the finale, then they will definitely come out on top.
When teams came out to perform the Nederlandslied during the rehearsals, one could tell just how much they miss performing these songs, how dear it is to their hearts and how important it is to them to do something during this pandemic to keep the culture alive.
I enjoyed Ikeraam Cupido’s performance on his Nederlandslied very much and it’s definitely an item to look forward to in the competition.
Cupido is the only solo lead singer in the competition with the other teams all opting to go with two voorsingers.
One team even had three, which although sounds unheard of, was still delightful to see.
This innovation can only be seen on the Culture Shock stage.
I enjoyed the three lead singers as well, mostly because they were not competing but working together to make the item successful and I believe people will enjoy this too.
It is a major shift away from the old school tradition and many might not agree with it, but it’s 2021, I guess we have to become more open-minded.
The moppies for me were also very good from what I saw in the rehearsals.
I do, however, feel that teams should be mindful not to push it too far with the theatrics and props because it can take away from the essence of what moppie really is.
However, it’s great to be able to see the lyrics and storylines being brought completely to life.
My advice to the teams is to innovate but not to push it too far towards musical theatre as then you will lose the audience who love moppies for what they are.
If people want to watch a musical then they will go to the Baxter to watch a professional one and not a moppie that looks like a musical.
I think the focus should be the actual moppie and the storyline and creating an item that unearths the funny people that come from our communities.
The moppie was not created for good singers, it was created for komieklike mense wie `n bietjie kan sing.
So I do feel from what I have seen in the rehearsals that if there are strong stories, then teams will shine.
It is all good and well to have good intentions like creating a vehicle which is there to keep the culture alive, but if there is no care shown to preserve the culture then Mona Lisa could end up looking like Moena Lisa.
So while the Culture Shock is a great platform for cultural performers and coaches, and surely jobs have been created, we must not let this format change our culture. It’s our heritage and something that we must preserve.
This is where I am starting to understand why our forefathers were so strict when it came to adapting the criteria for these items, their intentions were only to preserve.
With that said, go out and support your favourite team in the Jive Culture shock competition because they are working hard to impress all of you and it takes a lot of time and effort to create an item on that standard.
There are some stunning performances to look forward to and the great part is that you the audience, when purchasing a ticket, also have the opportunity to vote for your favourite Jive Culture Shock team.
Tickets available on Quicket.