Nelisiwe Xaba: Dancing between South Africa and the Global North

Nelisiwe Xaba has spent her career creating and touring works between South Africa and the Global North. Signature elements of her work include small-scale formats (solos, duets, trios), the use of objects that blur the distinction between costume and set, the repurposing of everyday materials, and the deliberate play with the performer’s and spectators’ gaze. In this cluster of articles writers based in South Africa, Germany, and the US explore how her works take on different meanings for different spectators in different cultural contexts.