Craig Hedderwick
ARTS ALIVE this year has a particularly lively dance component — a 24-day celebration and exploration of the diverse styles of South African dance, to be held at the Dance Factory in Newtown.
More than 300 performers will present a feast of contemporary, African and jazz dance. The entire spectrum of dance culture is represented, from the award-winning Pact Dance Company to experimental performance art programmes.
The festival coincides with the first anniversary of the Dance Factory which, rising from a dream, has established a reputation for high-quality dance entertainment, experimentation and education.
Apart from a number of Gauteng-based companies, the festival includes a visit from the renowned, London-based Black Mime Theatre Company. Their style fuses acrobatics, mime, drama and dance in a hard-hitting, highly physical theatre that makes compulsive viewing. Their first performance is on Saturday at 10pm.
Another visitor is the Cape Youth Dance Company; recently formed, their style ranges from contemporary and jazz to Indo-fusion.
Gauteng companies participating include:
* The Arco Dance Theatre, known for its electrifying choreographic invention.
* Black Dance Inc, which draws on styles such as pantsula, gumboot and indlamu.
* The Soweto Dance Theatre, in a collaboration with Robyn Orlin.
* Pact Dance Company, featuring several Vita Award winners, with a season of local and international works, titled Horizons.
* The Johannesburg Dance Foundation Ensemble and Johannesburg Dance Theatre, featuring a new work by Jeannette Ginslov.
* Visions, formed last year in a collaboration between Debbie Raskin and David Matamela,.
* Moving into Dance, sharing a programme with the Pretoria Technikon dance department.
Dance experimentation will be explored on two occasions in programmes titled Performance Art I and II, while Dance on Sundays opens the floor to youth and community groups.
Bumper opening performances this weekend will showcase highlights of what is to come, while the festival draws to a close with a programme that features the cream of what was on offer. Titled Best of the Fest, this should not be missed by anyone with a love of dance.
Dance ’95 runs from September 15 to October 8. For full details of the programme, phone the Dance Factory at 833-1347