A Musical Journey

Umoja stages South African culture and togetherness

One of Toronto's newest entertainment companies has entered the scene with a very ambitious debut project. Ysis Entertainment, founded by Torontonian Lucy Hamlet, had only produced a few relatively modest community productions before it moved into the international market, bringing in a South African production that's become an international hit.
"I grew up in Dominica, a very culturally rich island, and we were exposed to music and entertainment from around the world," says Hamlet. "I found that here it was very hard to find diverse black cultures, anything from jazz to folk music from the Caribbean; I found that the pickings were slim."
Hamlet is herself a performer. She sings with a local zouk band called Levitasyon, and has hosted numerous public events like the City of Toronto's Winterfest and Summerfest world stages and co-ordinated entertainment for award shows and beauty pageants.
About two years ago, a colleague told Hamlet about a show she had seen in England, called Umoja. "She came back and said, 'Lucy, we have to do this show!'" Hamlet recalls. Hamlet quickly became excited about the show, a musical journey through South African culture. "I sent them an e-mail, because I noticed that they were going all over the place, but not to Canada. They responded and expressed interest, so that started the ball rolling."
Bringing Umoja to Canada was a major project that required significant investment. "The cast is 37 performers. They use traditional drums - the drums really are the core of the dance performance. The jazz (because South Africa has a strong tradition of jazz) is backed up by an orchestra," says Hamlet. The shows also touches upon such traditions as Zulu dancing, gumboot dancing (the root of hip hop dance), gospel and a capella singing.
"They have another interesting tradition that I was not aware of before," Hamlet comments. "Because they were not allowed to use traditional instruments, the young girls on the way to school would pick up cans and made improvised maracas."
It was originally created by performers Todd Twala and Thembi Nyandeni. They both grew up amidst the poverty of the South African Township life with little hope of breaking out into a better life until they were cast in a big theatrical production that toured the world. Umoja is their gift back to other young people trying to improve their lives in difficult conditions.
"The cast is made up of young South Africans who generally come from underprivileged homes. Their reason for doing it is really to use the art to get these children out of the atmosphere of despair and propel them forward," says Hamlet. "Not to mention that the show is vibrant, it's energetic, it's wonderful."
YSIS Entertainment Inc. and Sting Music present Umoja - The Spirit of Togetherness at the Elgin Theatre until August 22. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 416-872-5555 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca. For more information, visit www.umoja-theshow.com. A portion of proceeds from the show go to benefit the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

Publication Date: 2004-08-08
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4257