The Dancing Skirts at the Watershed January 19th, 2024

Image Caption: Ladies from the Re.Bag.Re.Use Team with their crocheted panels from empty bread bags. From left to right: Portia Chirawu, Margaret Nyika, Mejury Kazingizi, Sakile Ndlovu, Darmeris Makovere, Betty Masamba, Tapiwa Likona, Alice Gandawa

Image Caption: Portia Chirawu (left) and Agnes Chikabure (right) members of the Re.Bag.Re.Use Team, admiring their beautiful panels that they crocheted from empty plastic bread bags and audio cassette tapes to make these impressive Dancing Skirts designed by Matthew Edwards as part of the V&A Waterfront’s Joy From Africa annual Festive celebration decorations. 

The Dancing Skirts

Have you seen the beautiful Dancing Skirt artworks at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town yet?

Inspired by the vision of local designer, Matthew Edwards, the Re.Bag.Re.Use and GoodGoodGood teams created these visually stunning dancing dresses from recycled materials.

Crocheter, Tapiwa Likona, who has been part of the Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative from the beginning shared, “When I first saw the display, all I could say was, ‘WOW!!’. When we started making these dancing skirts it was very interesting and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to be displayed. I was just ‘wowed’ when I saw the dancing skirts hanging down. It was amazing!”.

Re.Bag.Re.Use Cutter, Alice Gandawa, says, “It was an incredible experience to work on this project  and see how the empty plastic bags turned into dancing skirts! It was a ‘once-in-a-life- time experience! This is such a beautiful project, turning empty plastic bread bags into something magnificent, and at the same time safe guarding our environment. We are now a lot more mindful about plastic, instead of throwing it away, we are turning it into beautiful items!”

“It was absolutely magical to see the hours of work that went into cutting empty bread bags and crocheting all the panels that were transformed into these incredible dancing skirts,” shares Regine le Roux, Founder of the Re.Bag.Re.Use initiative. “We are immensely grateful to be part of this amazing initiative, it is such a thrill that visitors to the V&A Waterfront’s Watershed, will experience the talent of the ladies’ crocheting skills.

There were five ladies who cut the plastic and ten ladies who crocheted the panels. A total of 184 panels were crocheted to make the skirts; 126 from empty bread bags and plastic, and 58 using audio cassette tapes. There were approximately 40 empty bread bags that were used in each panel, and each skirt is made up of 16 panels. This equates to 5040 empty bread bags and about 450 cassette tapes that won’t be landing up in landfill or the environment!

“It is about making something out of nothing; using material that is usually discarded, into beautiful art,” adds le Roux.

Installation designer, Matthew Edwards shares, “The Dancing Skirts were inspired by the movement of dance, and how a dress moves when someone is dancing in it.”

Here’s a short video on the Dancing Skirts: youtube.com/watch?v=nkULYJb3D9Y

For more information on Re.Bag.Re.Use, visit www.rebagreuse.com or view all the beautiful products for sale: www.rebagreusehub.co.za email: sales@rebagreuse.com

Not only does Re.Bag.Re.Use support local creativity, and keeps plastic from the environment, a percentage of all sales get donated to the Neighbourhood Old Age Home (NOAH) in Woodstock and the SPCA, to spread the love even further. 

Article Courtesy of www.rebagreuse.com