Unpacking the baggage of identity

By: Princess Biyela

“Our identity as African is not something to ignore” stated Lliane Loots in her opening speech at the opening  of the 15th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, evoking the memory of our forgotten roots.  The evening’s powerful performances B.L.E.N.D. and The King in Exile both challenged stereotypes around identity.

When bodies and histories collide

By: Mfundiseni Ndwalane

The stage was set, audience members waited in anticipation to be enthralled once again as the 15th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Experience commenced last night. We were treated to two performances, B.L.E.N.D by Desirè Davids (South Africa) and Hélène Cathala (France) followed by Francisco Camacho’s (Portugal) THE KING IN EXILE.

Histories, politics and memories collide on stage

By: Christiaan du Plessis

The 15th JOMBA!  Contemporary Dance Experience opened with a statement on the stance of dance theatre and performance in South Africa, making it clear that cutting funding will motivate artists and critical thinkers to fight against censorship, posing the challenge to the audience: "How will you fight?".

Sharing the struggle for identity

By: Arno Wagenaar

                                 

It was a phenomenal opening for the 15^th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience at the Sneddon Theatre last night. From an eye-opening speech from artistic director, Lliane Loots, speaking to and creating awareness around the lack of interest in funding contemporary dance in South Africa, to the two most fascinating performances; B.L.E.N.D – choreographed and performed in collaboration by Desiré Davids (South Africa) and Hélène Cathala (France), and THE KING IN EXILE – choreographed by Francisco Camacho (Portugal).

Lliane Loots' Opening Night Speech

It is always my great joy and delight to stand before you at the opening of UKZN’s  Centre for Creative Arts’s JOMBA! festival. It is always a personal opportunity for me to be reminded of what my theatre guru Jerzy Grotowski called the ‘great service of theatre’ - of being reminded that as  (what Grotowski called) ‘holy’ theatre makers and theatre practitioners our greatest ‘gift’ is to make our work as if it were a service to our community. 


15th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience - Media Release

The Centre for Creative Arts and the University of KwaZulu-Natal proudly present the

15^th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience

28 August – 8 September 2013

Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre: 7.30pm

artSPACE (durban) Monday 2 September: 6.30pm

Tickets:

R50.00 or R35.00 (scholars/students/pensioners)

Booking through computicket (or at venue from one hour before)

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s arts gateway to Africa and the world, the Centre for Creative Arts, is proud to be presenting its 15^th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience.  This year’s festival is a delight of local and international dance theatre that has on show the best the world has to offer. Dancer from Holland, Switzerland, America, Portugal and France will be gracing the JOMBA! stages alongside some of South Africa’s most cutting edge dance makers.

!AÏA From cave to sky

 

Themba Mbuli, Isaac Rakotsoane and Thierry Moucazambo in !AÏA From cave to sky

Photos: Val Adamson

The 2012 Eric Shabalala Dance Champion Award

Local dancer, choreographer and dance educator Sifiso Kitsona Khumalo has been announced as the recipient of this year’s “Eric Shabalala Dance Champion Award” which was established by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) and the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, in memory and recognition of dancer, choreographer and dance educator Eric Shabalala. 

Sifiso Kitsona Khumalo 

Caesar, interrupted

From back: Sbusiso Gantsa, Sandile Mkhize and Mxolisi Nkomonde in Caesar, interrupted

Photos: Val Adamson

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Satire, Symbolism and Social Comment
By: Caitlin Perkins

Jay Pather’s Caesar, interrupted is anything but tedious. His stage is a kaleidoscope of images, colours and symbols; a plethora of unusual and innovative props litter the stage.

Somewhere, out there, life was screaming

The cast of Somewhere, out there, life was screaming

Photos: Val Adamson

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First published in The Star Tonight
Mzansi Moves

By: Adrienne Sichel

When dance companies from two different countries collaborate across geographical and cultural lines there are two possible outcomes. Either an imposed mish-mish or an organically sound creation.

ABA(KA)NTU

The cast of Aba(ka)ntu

Photos: Val Adamson

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Finding our own voices
By: Thobe Molefe

Aba(ka)ntu is deeply rooted in finding one’s identity. The stage is set up to symbolise a very sacred space as Musa Hlatshwayo carefully, cautiously enters it.

JOMBA! FRINGE 2012

The Floor Assassins in Alive Through the Music
Photo: Val Adamson

Read more for reviews by our student writers in residence...

SKWATTA

Vincent Mantsoe in SKWATTA
Photo: Val Adamson 

Read more for reviews by our student writers-in-residence

Henriette & Matisse

“Henriette & Matisse”

Photo: Val Adamson

Read more for reviews by our student writers-in-residence

Opening Night Speech by Lliane Loots

29 August 2012

On the front line again

Karl Marx believed that revolutions push history forward. For each civil and social revolt, a society pushed closer and closer to his imagined socialist paradise. Neo-Marxist Antonio Gramsci, corrected Marx, and said revolutions are not always necessary, all we have to do, to shift our lived conditions, is to stop consenting to the dominant discourses of capital. We have to stop buying the lies packaged and sold to us by governments eager for votes and corporations eager for financial power. In short, to uses Noam Chomsky’s phrase, we have to fight the political and social ‘manufacturing of consent’ that allows us to put up with things as they are and accept dire situations as ‘normal’.