First-ever South African Dance Awards comes to town
JOBURG – For the first time, ever, the newly formed South African Dance Awards will honour their peers in the industry.
The inaugural South African Dance Awards (Sada) will be held at the Ekurhuleni International Conference Centre on 25 November.
This was announced by the newly formed awards body which seeks to honour and celebrate all forms of dance in the country, ranging from the less established traditional African dance moves to the more entrenched western dance moves.
Speaking at the media launch of the awards held at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein, Sada chairperson Cyril Sadiki said, “Dance contributes immensely towards the development of all humankind as it stimulates cultural dialogue through movement – and yet, all along, there have been no specific awards to recognise this fundamental part of human expression.
“The contribution of dance towards social cohesion, particularly across cultural and racial lines, is immense and a worthy cog towards national unity. The awards will celebrate this crucial part of various cultures and history by honouring and recognising dancers and individuals who have reached the highest platforms in this particular industry.
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“While the industry by nature is about fun and self-expression it, by no means, tolerates mediocrity. In fact, the South African Dance Awards is all about recognising and celebrating excellence in the dance industry, however, this is not the only measurement.”
Well-known professional dancer, dance activist and head judge of So You Think You Can Dance on SABC 2, Harold van Buuren, said the process of finding excellence in dance will be inclusive of the South African audience. “Sada believes that excellence is about impressing your audience with your skill, commitment and talent and, therefore, Sada wants the public to be an integral part of the nomination and voting process,” said Van Buuren, who is also a judge on Superstars of Dance on NBC, Los Angeles and a professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing on SABC 2.
Provincial competitions will be held on 15 to 29 October at various venues in the nine provinces, culminating in the close of nominations on 30 October and the announcement of the finalists and opening of the voting process on 9 November, which closes three days before the awards.
Details: Sada 011 339 0000; info@sadanceawards.co.za; www.sadanceawards.co.za
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