Durban - The City will host dancers from around the world in the 21st JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience.

The festival starts today at various venues around Durban.

The 12-day spectacular, organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, will see dancers from far and wide come to showcase their moves.

This year’s 21st birthday edition offers some of the world’s best contemporary dancers that will challenge and entertain audiences of all ages.

The festival also offers workshops, community engagements, master classes and sessions to engage with the artists and dance makers.

Dr Lliane Loots, acting director at the Centre for Creative Arts and the artistic director of JOMBA! said: “There is no one recipe for success in the arts.

“JOMBA’s is that it has moved

with the times and has shifted to open its spaces in the art form of contemporary dance, that has grown

in this country.”

JOMBA! gets better each year and this year is no different with a mix of local and international productions.

“Audiences can come and see what is the very best in Durban and South Africa, and then also see what is happening on the African content, and then take a look at the Euro/America axis of dance work that is interesting and beautiful.”

Loots said the big shift from the earlier days of JOMBA! has been in the programming, that has now changed to focus on a clear-cut mandate.

“When the festival started there

were like 10 dance companies a night doing short works and very long programmes.

“This has totally shifted.

“Now there is a curated focus with a cleaner sense of what dancers and companies do, an arts space that is challenging and pushing the incredible art form of dance.

“We are also clear that our mandate is developmental, so a lot of time, space and energy is given over to also supporting young artists and dance makers.”

Marking its celebratory year, festival planners have put together a magnificent programme.

The first visit of Cape Town’s JazzArt Dance Company will open the festival.

From Durban, Boyzie Cekwana will collaborate with Lebanese dancer Danya Hammoud, Vincent Mantsoe offers his world premiere of his newest solo work; Standard Bank Young Artist Fana Tshabalala will collaborate with Flatfoot Dance Company and there will be two incredible offerings from the US.

The first is the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Dance Company that will perform a fusion production, and the second is from Body Art, a New

Orleans-based company.

There are also a number of dance-on-screen short films from Argentina,

and the free workshops, discussion panels.

“JOMBA! is and has been the love of my life for 21 years - I remain deeply indebted to the College of Humanities and UKZN for seeing the value of a festival like this housed in an institution of higher learning.

“The link between arts and learning/academia remains an open door at UKZN and this is what makes our university unique.

“A centre like the CCA remains a space of incredible power as art is

about truth telling - long may it continue.”

Loots said people should show support for the festival to keep it alive.

“We are in an arts scarce environment and so these festival spaces are very precious - every time you buy a ticket you are allowing the arts to sustain,” she added.

A series of workshops and master classes (all free) are offered in various venues in the eThekwini area and they are open to all - booking is essential. Tickets are R80 and R60 for student/scholar/pensioner/group booking of more than x10, and available through Computicket. For more information go to http://jomba.ukzn.ac.za/

The Independent on Saturday

Alyssia Birjalal

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