The new partnership is a much-needed consolidation of efforts and is working towards building an exciting and more effective platform to promote professional contemporary dance in the KwaZulu-Natal area.
FNB choreographic grants have been awarded to Jay Pather, who is working with Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre and Boyzie Cekwana and his Floating Outfit Project. With the grant funding, the choreographers are required to make a new dance work for the JOMBA! season.
Pather has created a piece called Laws of Recall, which explores memory as a personal and public experience. A trade mark of his subject matter is to investigate and question issues on a cross-cultural and political level. Cekwana is to present a work in progress titled Shift. Fully realising the creative act is always a long process, the audience can look forward to sharing this trip with Cekwana along the journey of making a dance work. Pather and Cekwana are already award- winning artists, so to enable the development of new and young choreographers an FNB Vita New Moves platform has been established.
Five choreographers, namely Thulebona Mzizi, Eric Shabalala, Quiton Ribonaar, Ntombi Gasa and Claire Bezuidenhout are each creating new works under the mentorship of Pather, David Gouldie and Lliane Loots. This opportunity is often the heartbeat of a festival, as it is here that fresh ideas and processes are uncovered. On Sunday August 27 the FNB Vita KwaZulu- Natal Dance Awards will be announced. The arts are under great pressure at this time in South Africa, so having contemporary dance supported by FNB shows a great belief in the need for this rapidly growing art form. Many of our dance artists are well received internationally but being rewarded in your own country is finally the best accolade.
The JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is also hosting, with the support of the British Council, the well-known dancer and choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh, who is bringing out her company and two special dance works. She is well known for her articulate and intellectually challenging fusion of classical Indian dance with contemporary Western dance techniques. If you wish to know more about this celebrated British artist, on August 25 Adrienne Sichel will conduct a public interview with Jeyasingh and composer Kevin Volans at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Paul Douglas, also supported by the British Council has made a new work to be performed by the local Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company. Kafig, a company from France, supported by the French Institute of South Africa, will share the stage with Siwela Sonke. Other participants at this innovative festival of dance are the Flatfoot Dance Company, ELU and Steven Cohen.
Dance on camera is a fast growing new dance presentation process. Film screenings of British dance made specifically for the camera are to be screened at the NSA Gallery as part of the JOMBA! festival . The JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience runs from August 21 to August 28 at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of Natal. Ticket prices are R20 for adults and R15 for pensioners and students, tickets can be bought from Computicket or at the door on the night of the performance. Tel: (031) 260E2506