Irma Stern

(South African, 1894-1966)

Lelemana Dance

Footnotes

Provenance
A private collection.
Acquired from the Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg, 1962.
A private collection.

Literature
Stern, I., 'Zanzibar', van Schaik, 1946, illust pg. 95.

This vibrant and exuberant dance scene was executed by Irma Stern during her second visit to Zanzibar, the 'spice islands' off the coast of East Africa. Stern had first travelled to the archipelago in 1939, and had been intoxicated by the exotic smells, sights and sounds. It was during her first trip that she witnessed a 'lelemana (wedding) dance'. She recalled the experience in an article she wrote for the Cape Argus newspaper on 19 July 1939:

"They were a row of lovely young Swahili girls. Their heads were decorated with golden rings and bunches of flowers ... The dancers stood in a row, their faces bearing an entranced expression, as if they were deep in religious thought. Their hands were beating little golden tomtoms in a monotonous tone. Their bodies were static, their heads bent down. Then they rose slowly and their hands went on in a ceaseless movement – the lilimama, the wedding dance ... The dance went on for hours without a break."

She illustrated this article with a small pen sketch of three dancers. Interestingly, the oil paintings Stern created following her first visit, and exhibited in 1941 and 1942, do not include a composition of this dance. It was only when she returned to Zanzibar in 1945 that she returned to the subject.

Instead of attempting to capture a single, static moment of the dance, Stern presents us with a sequence, depicting each of the women at different stages of the performance. This unconventional composition lends a freshness and dynamism to the scene. The dancers are positioned so close to the picture surface, it is almost as if we are in and amongst them, and not distant spectators.

This painting was so well regarded, that it was purchased by a private collector almost as soon as it was executed. It did not feature in the exhibitions she organised later in 1946 or 1947. The painting was first exhibited publicly in February 1962 at the Lidchi Gallery, Johannesburg, where it was snapped up by another private collector. The work has remained in this family's hands until the present day.

Stern's own regard for the painting is evident in her choice to illustrate it in her 1948 publication, 'Zanzibar' (Van Schaik, Pretoria, p95). Of the 25 oil paintings selected, 'Lelemana Dance' stands out as one of the most accomplished, well deserving of its position alongside Stern's masterpieces, 'The Arab Priest', 'Arab with Dagger' and 'The Golden Shawl'.

We are grateful to Professor Michael Godby for the compilation of the above footnote.