Moving between everyday life, dance, music, and community work, RONA unfolds a multi-voiced portrait of Johannesburg—raw, poetic, and immediate.
RONA, which means “together” or “we” in Sesotho, is a collective film by Gaby Saranouffi, deufert&plischke, Moeketsi Koena and Thabiso Heccius Pule. Blending everyday life, dance, music, and community work, it offers a portrait of dance artists in Johannesburg. Developed within the community performance project Ballroom Bliss Soweto, the film centers voices often left unheard—particularly women and children navigating poverty and gender-based violence. Filmed across three locations, it weaves movement, sound and spiritual practice into a powerful cinematic experience.
The film is part of Moving in November 5.–15.11.2026. As part of the festival, there will be an open Soup Talks discussion after the screening with Saranouffi, Deufert, Plischke, Koena, and a local host.
Production: I’Trotra Art X Connection Johannesburg / deufert&plischke – spinnereischwelm / dpsp studio Schwelm with the kind help of Goethe Institute South Africa.
Co-production: Pina Bausch Centre under construction, Wuppertal Ballroom Bliss Soweto was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the Export Promotion Programme 2025, with the kind help of Goethe-Institut South Africa
Photo: deufert&plischke
Visit in collaboration with: Caisa
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