Review date: 15/02/26

Rating: 5 stars (6 if I could!)

Tshepo Rapola is a bright and joyous light well known in the Adelaide dance community as part of the friendly front of house team at QuickSteps Dance Club Studio. Originally from South Africa, Tsepho comes from a long and strong line of traditional dancers and has married that rich history to a technical contemporary dance mastery that comfortably situates him in some of the best physical theatre technicians I have ever had the delight to see perform. So knowing all this, before even going into the show, I knew I was going to see something special. It’s very hard as a reviewer when your first show turns out to be a five star plus affair but here we are…

Tsepho has described as part of his artistic journey as a dancer is to be one that thinks and creates in addition to one who simply executes choreography well. “Senseful(less)ness: Reimagined” is his interrogation of the intersecting themes of identity, of personal definition and redefinition in the context of culture and the art of changing while staying true to one’s core self. There is an incredibly raw moment that in the beginning of the work where Rapola’s “take what you will from my art” philosophy engages the audience where they are symbolically offered body parts of a mannequin by the dancer. He believes an audience should creatively take what they will from a performance and it will be different for every individual.

This is a show for deep thinkers with the souls of poets, the brains of philosophers and the eyes of artisans. True craftsmanship has gone into this particular project and it is a mature, developed work that is very well produced with a fantastic soundtrack and intriguing props that tell Tsepho’s story without overshadowing his abilities as a technical dancer and brilliance as a choreographer. After the show there was a Q & A that was almost as interesting as the performance and Rapola is a fascinating story teller. His advice to young artists and dancers is that do what you love and it’s okay to change along the way while making sense of it all.

The session on 22 February 2026 will feature an Afro-contemporary movement workshop open to all dancers and movers, unpacking the unique movement vocabulary used by the artist in the performance. Shout out to Quicksteps as a great venue to learn social dancing in a friendly, inclusive and accessible environment and many of the students of Quicksteps were in the packed out audience on 15/02/26 to show community support for this event.

Season run: 22 Feb at 5PM & 1 Mar at 7:30PM @ QuickSteps Dance Club Studio (255 Gouger St, Adelaide SA 5000)