Arguably Africa’s biggest and most prestigious dance event, JOMBA! is back at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, UKZN, KwaZulu-Natal, following a two-year hiatus.
The festival will see artists and performers from Mozambique, Switzerland, Reunion Island, India and, of course, South Africa, showcase their works at JOMBA!’s first full live event since the Covid pandemic.
“We are thrilled and relieved to be finally presenting our much-loved festival, live and in-person while keeping some works and events online to include those not able to attend,” says artistic director and curator Dr Lliane Loots.
“One of the things that we've really lost with Covid is interacting with one another; meeting in the foyer, seeing people you haven't seen for a while, talking to other dancers, watching people exchange, artists connecting with one another, just an affirmation of community.
“And I'm hoping that we revitalise that sense of an artistic dance community again.”
Under the themed “the (im)possibility of home”, the 24th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience offers 13 days of world-class contemporary dance experience like no other.
“This year, through the theme we have set out to interrogate a series of dance offerings that negotiate heritage, culture, nostalgia and identity, which explore a sense of belonging and how this persists, changes and transforms through time – and what a time (both local and global) for this moment!”
Loots touched on some of the challenges the dance and theatre community experienced over the past two years.
“Dance is not an art form where you can just stop and then pick it up again. As a dancer, you've got to be working every single day. We've seen quite a lot of carnage, if I can use that word, artists have disappeared and dancers have gotten other work because they haven't been able to keep their practice going.
“And it's quite a painful thing to also realise that artists have had to make other choices. There's literally been a loss. I'm hoping, with the live festival, we can start that fire again and, hopefully, build as well.”
Headlining this year’s event are South Africa’s doyens of contemporary dance-makers Mamela Nyamza and Nelisiwe Xaba and Mozambican dance-maker Edna Jaime.
Choreographer, performer and dance teacher Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe will be honoured as the 2022 JOMBA! Legacy Artist.
“This year marks a 30-year history of Mantsoe’s career as a dancer and choreographer and we can think of no better way to honour this incredible icon in South Africa’s historical dance trajectory than to celebrate with him.”
There will be a live performance of Mantsoe’s new solo work “Koma”, the screening of his short dance film “CUT (part 1)” made during the lockdown and his two-year process (2021 and 2022) of working with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company, and the long journey to making “CUT (part 2)”, which will premiere at the festival.
Mantsoe will also be presenting a masterclass.
Fana Tshabalala, the 2019 JOMBA! Mellon Artist in Residence, will present his latest solo work “Zann”, which he began creating as part of his residency.
Three new works by Durban choreographers Sandile Mkhize, Tegan Peacock and Pavishen Paideya will premiere at the festival.
The trio were given grants to help push their creation of new local work in the JOMBA! Edge-mentored platform.
In addition to the powerhouse of performances, the festival will also host workshops, after-performance Q&As, panel discussions, virtual screen dance and the return of the JOMBA! youth dance platform that continues to support the growth of Durban’s young dance communities.
For the full programme and more information on the festival visit the website.
JOMBA! 2022 kicks off on August 30 and will run until September 11.
As the country prepares to celebrate Heritage Day on September 24, we look at theatre productions across the country that recognise and celebrate our diverse African cultures.
The Parrot Woman (The Market Theatre)
South Africa’s leading contemporary playwright and director Charles Fourie adapts “The Parrot Woman" to bring to life a part of history that is seldom told; that many black South Africans were also incarcerated in concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer war in 1901.
Transferred to a concentration camp, she is held captive in a cage and guarded by the unwilling British soldier who seeks the truth surrounding the murders, in a game of ritual and escapism.
What is disclosed in the touching end sheds light on the ravaging effects of war and sees the two characters finding solace in each other’s pain and loss.
Date: Currently on until September 26.
Paul Slabolepszy's Fordsburg's Finest (Theatre On The Bay)
Starring Paul Slabolepszy and Chi Mhende, “Fordsburg's Finest” follows the tale of two people who, having long walked on firm ground, find that they cannot take its firmness for granted.
Set in 1996, the play centres on a New York librarian who decides it is time to return to her South African roots. Arriving at 74 Pioneer Street in Fordsburg and clutching an out-of-date, faded street map, she is sad to find the homestead is no longer there. In its place is a rundown used-car lot owned by a convivial middle-aged white South African who is also an ex-police reservist.
Date: Currently on until September 10.
Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival’s Finest (Baxter)
“Hostel Lights” and “Back to Ashes” are the two winning productions selected as the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival’s Finest of the Fest earlier this year.
They were selected as the best to emerge from the 13th annual festival in April, for their powerful themes and excellence in script writing, performances, direction and overall presentation, said Mdu Kweyama, the artistic director of the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival.
“The themes they cover are those that audiences can resonate with and, sadly, in many instances, is a daily reality for many South Africans. ‘Hostel Lights’ speaks to loyalty and friendship, while ‘Back to Ashes’ addresses the ever-relevant topic of gender-based violence,” Kweyama said.
Date: September 3 to 17.