Gregory Maqoma, one of South Africa’s most celebrated artists, is thrilling critics worldwide with his powerful new music and dance work, Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro. Inspired by the writings of South African novelist Zakes Mda and Maurice Ravel’s legendary composition, the award-winning theatrical experience weaves a narrative of greed, power, and communal mourning. 

Set in a graveyard, the hauntingly complex and percussive performance follows a designated mourner navigating the tensions of post-Apartheid South Africa. Featuring the transformative singing of an African gospel quartet and a rousing live score based on Isicathamiya harmonies, the production is described by Maqoma as “celebratory of our human experience” and a ritual to free the souls of those taken from the continent through slavery so they may “find peace.”