With 18 talented young people and three children, OYO embarked on a fantastic journey, “The Namibian Odysseus”. After three months of hard rehearsals, the 75-minute long dance piece was presented at the National Theatre of Namibia on 16, 17 and 18 July, where it met with great success. The public was enthusiastic, and we received many positive comments, sms texts and emails after the shows.

Following the week of the performances, we were able to spend a week recording the show on location. This was extremely hard work: waking up at 05h00, make-up starting at 07h00, shooting from 10h00 to 16h00 under harsh conditions, then packing and preparing the wardrobe for the following day’s shoot. The cast and crew were incredibly supportive, however, and we made it. From Katutura to Zoo Park, from Parliament Gardens to Greiter’s Conference Centre, we managed to capture all the scenes. The video will be edited during the latter part of 2008 and will be ready for presentation in 2009. So even if you weren’t able to see a live performance in Windhoek, you will be able to see the fantastic work done by the 21 performers as a video.

During the three months of rehearsals, the cast had the chance to meet with incredible artists. Skytilz, a hip-hop dancer and choreographer from Boy’s Blue in the UK, and Wieke Eringa, Artistic Director for Yorkshire Dance in the UK, both contributed to developing the cast’s dancing skills. The Dogg and Dobet Gnahore, two leading artists from Namibia and the Ivory Coast respectively, both visited rehearsals and encouraged the cast. As a result of the initiative, some cast members have been invited to take part in international exchange programmes in Germany and the UK. Hard work always pays off in the end – congratulations!