Dandyism

Dandyism is inspired by the gentlemen of the Congo. The appropriation of the 18th Century French and English Dandy’s flamboyance by Est African men was a defence and a provocation against slavery, described by some as a resistance movement. By the 1960s it had become a phenomenon, a way to preserve a legacy of African culture and challenge conventional male stereotypes. More recently Dandyism has encompassed the fight for gender equality by the Congo’s Female Dandies movement. Dandyism is a celebration of style and cool as well as a concern for humanism, gender and identity in our increasingly divided society. In this new performance work choreographer Patrick Ziza explores the Dandy’s fashion and style as an assertion of freedom, the evolution of this cultural phenomenon into a modern-day norm, and how it relates to exploring, respecting and valuing individuality in the 21st Century. Dandyism is flamboyance: dress sharp and present your best self. Through his choreography Patrick Ziza wants to embody the raw and unrefined energy and expressive dynamism of dance originating in East Africa.