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“Discussing about Miriam Makeba in South Africa, it’s similar to talking about a sovereign,” states Alesandra Seutin. Known as Mama Africa, the iconic artist also spent time in Greenwich Village with renowned musicians like Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. Starting as a young person sent to work to support her family in Johannesburg, she later served as an envoy for the nation, then the country’s official delegate to the United Nations. An outspoken anti-apartheid activist, she was married to a activist. This remarkable life and legacy inspire the choreographer’s latest work, the performance, set for its UK premiere.

The Blend of Dance, Music, and Spoken Word

Mimi’s Shebeen combines movement, instrumental performances, and oral storytelling in a theatrical piece that isn’t a simple biography but utilizes Makeba’s history, particularly her story of exile: after moving to the city in 1959, Makeba was barred from South Africa for 30 years due to her opposition to segregation. Later, she was banned from the United States after marrying activist her spouse. The show is like a ritual of remembrance, a reimagined memorial – some praise, part celebration, some challenge – with a exceptional South African singer the performer leading reviving her music to dynamic existence.

Strength and elegance … the production.

In South Africa, a shebeen is an unofficial gathering place for locally made drinks and lively conversation, often presided over by a host. Makeba’s mother the matriarch was a shebeen queen who was detained for producing drinks without permission when Miriam was a newborn. Unable to pay the penalty, Christina was incarcerated for six months, bringing her baby with her, which is how her remarkable journey started – just one of the things the choreographer discovered when researching her story. “So many stories!” says she, when they met in Brussels after a performance. Seutin’s father is from Belgium and she was raised there before relocating to learn and labor in the UK, where she established her company the ensemble. Her South African mother would perform her music, such as the tunes, when Seutin was a youngster, and dance to them in the home.

Songs of freedom … the artist performs at the venue in the year.

A decade ago, her parent had the illness and was in hospital in the city. “I paused my career for three months to take care of her and she was constantly asking for the singer. It delighted her when we were performing as one,” she remembers. “There was ample time to pass at the hospital so I began investigating.” In addition to learning of Makeba’s triumphant return to South Africa in the year, after the release of the leader (whom she had encountered when he was a legal professional in the 1950s), Seutin discovered that she had been a breast cancer survivor in her teens, that her child Bongi died in labor in the year, and that because of her banishment she could not attend her own mother’s memorial. “You see people and you focus on their achievements and you overlook that they are struggling like anyone else,” says Seutin.

Creation and Themes

All these thoughts contributed to the creation of the production (first staged in the city in 2023). Thankfully, Seutin’s mother’s treatment was effective, but the idea for the work was to celebrate “death, life and mourning”. Within that, she pulls out elements of Makeba’s biography like flashbacks, and references more broadly to the theme of uprooting and loss nowadays. Although it’s not overt in the performance, she had in mind a additional character, a modern-day Miriam who is a migrant. “And we gather as these other selves of personas linked with Miriam Makeba to greet this young migrant.”

Rhythms of exile … musicians in Mimi’s Shebeen.

In the show, rather than being intoxicated by the shebeen’s local drink, the multi-talented dancers appear possessed by beat, in synthesis with the players on stage. Seutin’s dance composition incorporates multiple styles of dance she has learned over the time, including from African nations, plus the international cast’ own vocabularies, including street styles like the form.

A celebration of resilience … Alesandra Seutin.

She was taken aback to find that some of the newer, international in the cast were unaware about the artist. (Makeba passed away in 2008 after having a cardiac event on stage in Italy.) Why should younger generations learn about the legend? “I think she would motivate the youth to advocate what they are, speaking the truth,” remarks Seutin. “But she accomplished this very elegantly. She’d say something meaningful and then sing a lovely melody.” Seutin wanted to take the similar method in this production. “Audiences observe dancing and hear beautiful songs, an aspect of enjoyment, but mixed with strong messages and moments that hit. This is what I respect about her. Since if you are being overly loud, people may ignore. They back away. Yet she did it in a manner that you would receive it, and understand it, but still be blessed by her talent.”

• The performance is at the city, 22-24 October