As part of his residency in Durban from 18 August to 2 September 2025, JOMBA! artist in residence Matthieu Nieto will present NEVERLAND, a choreographic solo blending dance with original songs in a fluid, cabaret-inspired form. The work explores self-love as a utopian space â fragile yet essential â where fiction becomes a tool to resist social norms and reclaim voice.
Since childhood, Nieto has used performance and imagination as a form of escape, channeling personal experiences to imagine other ways of being. NEVERLANDÂ continues this impulse through a solo that embraces multiplicity, staging a series of musical numbers as visual and sonic landscapes, each evoking memory, fantasy, or longing. Drawing on queer cabaret, ballroom culture, and transcultural references, the piece traverses pop concert, music video, and experimental dance forms, creating a playground for transformation.
During the residency, Nieto collaborates with South African musical director and vocal coach Simphiwe Sanele Skhakhane to develop live vocal elements, using song and voice as choreographic material through texture, layered arrangements, and physical embodiment.
NEVERLAND is the second chapter in a research cycle on fictions and utopian spaces, following WONDARLAND (2024) and preceding PEPONI (2026/2027). The residency and performance are made possible with the support of IFAS.
The performance will take place on 1 September, 14:30 at the Playhouse Studio 410 in Durban, as part of the 27th edition of the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience. Other French productions featured at the festival include Qui Est-Ce? #1 Fragments by Desiré Davids, Of Dances and Struggles by Company Dans6T, and KANYAR Epilogue by Company Soul City.
Visit the JOMBA! website for more information.
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