In Portrait Performance, Ashley Temba reflects upon the assumptions made about him, and how they have affected the way he sees himself. The solo work premiered on 5 July and ran until 8 July 2025 at Ballhaus Naunynstraße.
The assuming eyes of others peered in, taking the form of a purple silhouette of judgement projected on the curtain behind him, like a shadow with free will. In an attempt to keep from becoming who they perceive him to be, choreographer and performer Ashley Temba covered his ears, standing his ground.
A transparent fabric surrounded Temba who stood with his back to us downstage right, in the corner. His movements were gracefully fluid, matching the sounds of someone playing with water which filled the room. The space went dark for a moment, and then he reappeared center stage, with an image of the sun illuminated behind him. The warm orange light lent a child-like curiosity to his demeanour. He smiled as he weaved an invisible orb of energy around his body. It seemed to me he was carving the space both in and around himself, slowly revealing more of the stage.
A recording of Temba’s voice echoed throughout the space: “Was I always like this? We see people for the first time, and to us, that’s all they’ve ever been”. This struck a chord with me because being a fellow person of colour, I too have dealt with projected stereotyping—and often, it is just a reflection of the other person, and where they’re at in their own journey. It can be easy to experience self doubt when everyone has a different interpretation of who you are.
As Temba caressed his own face, the image of an older black woman emerged behind him. A woman’s voice then began to describe how she cooked goat specifically to Temba’s liking. The energy in the room felt light as Temba could be heard laughing with the woman, who we finally understood to be his mom. Vibrant colours lit the stage as an upbeat Haitian song began to play. Temba let the music slowly take over his body, the rhythm travelling from his feet to his hips and then to his lips as he smiled, enjoying the moment. He danced as if he were at a house party, surrounded by loved ones, until the sounds of dishes breaking initiated an abrupt change in lighting, like coloured film going back to black and white.
As he covered his ears, the purple silhouettes appeared behind him, morphing between human figures and indecipherable shapes. The projected images seemed to influence Temba, manipulating him as a soulful hip hop track began to play. He began to move to the beat, incorporating an infectious groove and fast footwork often used in the urban styles he’s trained in. Gradually, the beat became too much to keep up with, and Temba succumbed to his puppeteers as a purple sun was projected behind him.
His body became robot-like, his movements staccato, trying to conform to what he’s expected to be. But we watched as he fought his way through, gradually finding the more grounded and whimsical quality of movement he possessed before ‘they’ corrupted his image. He stomps the ground and throws his arms up as he looks out at us, shattering the image of him we thought we knew, and leaving us with one of who he could become.
Portrait Performance by Ashley Temba premiered on 5 July and ran until 8 July 2025 at Ballhaus Naunynstraße.
