THE JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is going digital for the second year, with a feast of dance films, performances, seminars and exhibitions under the theme Border Crossings from August 24 to September 5.
The South African festival highlights include the Garage Dance Ensemble performing in Gat Innie Grond, Wond in My Siel (Hole in the Ground, Wound in my Soul) choreographed by Byron Klassen, while Cape Town’s Yaseen Manuel has created two dance films with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company.
Cutting edge African dance makers will screen four dance films ‒ from Marcel Gbeffa (Benin), Gaby Saranouffi (Madagascar), Robert Ssempijja (Uganda), and Bernardo Guiamba (aka Pak Ndjamena) from Mozambique.
European and American offerings feature the historic New York-based Limón Dance Company and Birmingham-based ACE music and dance with their Afro-fusion style that takes in flamenco, kathak, and martial arts.
From Germany, Hannah Ma (hannahmadance), presents ONDA ‒ into the unknown; Sweden’s Cullberg Ballet presents a dance film On Earth I’m Done ‒ Mountains, Part 1.
The closing film is She Poems by Spanish dancer/choreographer Aïda Colemenero Dïaz in a series of beautiful short screen dance films made during her travels in Africa.
The Kolkata-based Pickle Factory Dance Foundation offers eight short dance films on contemporary Indian dance making.
Durban Digital Edge features the work of six Durban-based dance makers beginning to make waves on the local dance scene: Sabelo Cele, Thobile Maphanga, Nqubeko “Cue” Ngema, Cameron Govender, Aphelele Nyawoso and Snethemba Khuzwayo.
JOMBA! is free via the website, www.jomba.ukzn.ac.za or subscribe to the Youtube channel https://www.YouTube.com/Jomba_Dance. The full programme is on the website.
The Independent on Saturday