Via Katlehong Returns to Peak Performances with US Premiere of VIA KATLEHONG CABARET, Now thru 3/24

Ready your hands to clap and your feet to stamp (in rhythm, please). Via Katlehong, the vibrant and exuberant South African dance company that evolved from an alternative for local youth to the threatening gangs roaming the township into an international phenomenon, returns to Peak Performances with the U.S. premiere of the "Katlehong Cabaret," tonight, March 16-24.

Performed by a powerhouse cast of nine singers, dancers, and musicians, the rousing 70-minute show is introduced by a master of ceremonies who guides the audience through some of the typical daily experiences of Katlehong black population. The alternately joyous, tragic and funny work combines the Pantsula, a kind of South African Hip-Hop that blends show-off moves from the local townships with fashion and slang, and gumboot, a response to the horrifying life of the miners translated into rhythmically complex, expressive tap dancing performed in the miners' rubber boots. The dancers create their own intricate music through their exuberant singing and dancing feet, generating an electricity that charges through and ignites the audience.

PERFORMANCE TIMES:
Saturday, March 16 @ 8:00pm
Sunday, March 17 @ 3:00pm
Thursday, March 21 @ 7:30pm
Friday, March 22 @ 7:30pm
Saturday, March 23 @ 8:00pm
Sunday, March 24 @ 3:00pm

The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University is located at 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07043. Tickets are $15, and are available at the box office, www.peakperfs.org, or by calling 973-655-5112.

Charter bus service is provided from New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal - arcade on 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues - to the Alexander Kasser Theater ($10 per person, roundtrip) for all Saturday and Sunday performances. Bus reservations may be made by calling 973-655-5112 or by visiting www.peakperfs.org. For train service, available only on weekdays, go online to www.njtransit.com or call 973-275-5555.