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UK Premiere. Dance Umbrella presents two outstanding South African soloists in a double-bill of work created from a female perspective. A hit in Dance Umbrella 2009, the irresistibly vibrant Nelisiwe Xaba returns with an audio-visual spectacle and homage to the woman known as ‘Venus Hottentot’. Using extraordinary costumes and a playful use of objects, Xaba translates the story of this exploited woman into a moving vision of the African woman’s body today. Mamela Nyamza’s autobiographical and passionate Hatched reveals an intriguing tension between Western balletic conventions and traditional African forms. A moving and evocative piece, Hatched conveys the challenging issues of a woman's evolving sexuality within the customary rites and rituals of marriage.