JOMBA! showcases local, international dancers
With a strong emphasis on looking at the key women choreographers making dance waves in South Africa.
THE JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, which showcases a number of South African, and international choreographers, dancers and dance-makers at this year’s 19th edition will take place at various venues in Durban from 23 August to 3 September.
Dance-lovers can expect to see a variety of contemporary styles speaking to a myriad issues from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, and then further afield from Holland (INTRODANS), Germany (steptext dance projects) and the West African country of Benin (Marcel Gbeffa).
Opening night on August 23 features choreography by South Africa’s celebrated dancer and dance-maker Gregory Maqoma of Vuyani Dance Theatre in collaboration with Helge Letonja, of Germany’s steptext dance projects.Benin dancer and choreographer Marcel Gbeffa, will not only perform his acclaimed solo work Et Si …, through the support of Alliance Française (Durban), the Institut Français d’Afrique du Sud, but will also run JOMBA’s annual festival residency with five local dancers: Bonwa Mbontsi, Tegan Peacock, Steven Banzoulu, Sibonelo “China” Mchunu, and Kim McCusker-Bartlett. The culmination of the residency will be given a showing at the JOMBA! @ the KZNSA event on Monday 28 August at 6pm.
Cape Town-based Mamela Nyamza, makes her JOMBA! debut this year. Often called the agent provocateur of South African contemporary dance, Nyamza’s outspoken and politically edgy dance theatre work
has garnered a worldwide reputation. In her newest work, DE-APART-HATE Nyamza takes on the legacy of the “rainbow nation” and begins to question issues around religion, race, sexuality and gender. The work is a visceral engagement with the politics of decolonization. Not for the faint-hearted, but will definitely be the talking point for this year’s festival.
With a strong emphasis on looking at the key omen choreographers making dance waves in South Africa, JOMBA! is proud to present the 2017 Standard Bank Young Artist (SBYA) for dance, Thandazile “Sonia” Radebe. Considered, in 2013, by the Mail and Guardian, to be one of the top 200 young South Africans to look out for, Radebe has a long and illustrious career as both dancer and choreographer. As a 2003 graduate of Moving Into Dance Mophatong, Radebe spent over 15 years working with MIDM before heading off on her own. JOMBA! will host its second program with venue partnership KZNSA Gallery for 2017 (Monday 28 August @ 6pm).
JOMBA! also offers a full programme of workshops and master classes by all of the participating dancers and choreographers. These workshops and classes are offered free of charge (dancer over 16 years only) but booking is essential via jombafestival@gmail.com. For a full listings and the programme go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za and link to the JOMBA! page.
