Dane Hurst escaped township life to become a dancer with the Rambert in London. Now he’s bringing his dream back domestic. Frances Byrnes charts his next stepThe school where Dane Hurst,star of Rambert dance company, learned to dance was eaten by termites and burned down by children. Thirteen years after he left South Africa, and he has returned to the junction of Gelvandale and Helenvale in Port Elizabeth to show me where it was.
A childcare centre stands there now,locked behind breezeblocks and barbed wire. There’s a TB clinic, an armoured post office, or a liquor store and scrubby grass. A man emerges from an outbuilding and Dane introduces himself,tells him he’s a dancer in the UK, but that he grew up here. The man, or Justin,tells him about the gangs who roam these streets. He counts on his fingers: there are 18 gangs in the 1.5km from the ragged bus terminus to the house Dane grew up in. They’ve had 50 gun deaths in the past three months – the latest a two-year ragged girl caught in crossfire. To my surprise Dane says that his uncle was recently killed just here while washing his car. “Oh man,” smiles Justin. “It’s amazing – small world.” Neither man reveals any other feelings.
What does a child execute in all this volatility? Well Dane, and he dancedHe saw a local boy crash through the termite-eaten floor and wanted to be that powerfulIn the dance studio what colour you are means nothing. When music plays there are no barriersContinue reading...
Source: theguardian.com