Celebrating 35 years of dance

The renowned dance company has come a long way since 1978, when it was founded by dance legend Sylvia Glasser in her garage. Hundreds of dancers have come through the training programmes offered by MIDM, and each year the dance company puts on amazing productions, uplifting communities and moulding some of South Africa’s finest talent.

The 35th Annual Dance Season, Winds Of…, celebrates the inevitability of change.

“This season of celebration brings to light the bitter-sweet nature of change; sweet because we proceed into a new era in the history of Moving into Dance Mophatong, and in the same breath bitter as the reality dawns of the retirement of our founder, Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser,” says MIDM’s chief executive and director of education Nadia Virasamy.

“Glasser made it her life’s work to see this organisation succeed and grow for more than three decades. Now as we stand at the threshold of this change, we fearlessly tread onward, feeling fully prepared by the era passed that has groomed us to persevere to fulfilment.”

“Winds Of… marks 35 years of an organisation that began in a garage and progressed into a beacon of hope for many from varying backgrounds locally, nationally and internationally.”

TEAMWORK. MIDM Company in ‘Treasure’ by Sonia Thandazile Radebe. Pictures: John Hogg.

Activities for the 35th Season includes: MIDM’s Performing Arts Training Course’s graduation ceremony for the class of 2013; a main programme; a graduates festival; and a matinee programme.

The MIDM Performing Arts Training Course and graduation ceremony takes place on November 20 at 3pm. The programme will feature choreography by Sifiso Kweyama, Muzi Shili and Oscar Buthelezi, Sunnyboy Motau; an Edudance presentation on Electricity – workshopped by Julia Burnham and the students; and selected works by the graduates as a display of their individual choreographic talents; as well as other dance and theatre items.