Dance of the Black Swan

In each country, women often have to be push through extreme prejudice and judgment in order to prove they deserve what they want. 

Drive to Defy is a series of true stories about Black South African women who challenged themselves and the world around them in order to achieve their dreams. Kitty Phetla, a prima ballerina, is one such woman. Tall, with broad shoulders, and a statuesque frame, she didn’t look like the other ballerinas. At first people thought her frame would hold her back, but her grace, beauty, and power have become her hallmarks as a dancer. 

The film follows Kitty as she practices, waits for the bus, as she dares to live out her dream on her own terms every day. Mixing flashbacks and a speculative narrative, we see Kitty dancing, icing her feet, stretching, fighting. Last, we see her performing The Dying Swan, not dressed in white, but in black. 

Directed by Fausto Becatti and produced by Bioscope Films, the series raises up the Black women who have had to fight for their inclusion on many levels. Agency Ogilvy & Mather worked on Drive to Defy for Volkswagen, and the first film, Mandisa, was released a month ago. The spot follows Mandisa Mfeka, the first Black female fighter pilot in South African history, and her story is just as inspiring and powerful as Kitty’s.