Jazzart Company share some magic at the KKNK

Jazzart Dance Theatre company dancers recently performed a piece called “GROND”, choreographed by resident choreographer Sbonakaliso Ndaba, at the annual Klein Karoo Kunstefees in Oudtschoorn.

The show received packed audiences every night, and they loved it, including the school kids who attended the last performance. The audience sat through the performance even though it started raining! Quite an impression was made…

A quote from the Dutch Ambassador’s wife: “It was beautiful and I have never seen anything like it before.”

Affirming the power of art...

Big changes present new challenges for Jazzart at present...but even so, the art is what comes first. No matter what, we will maintain to stand strong in our mission...AFFIRMING THE POWER OF ART...

Cape Town impressed at this year's Dance Umbrella

The Jazzart company owned their place at this year's FNB Dance Umbrella. The following is an article posted on the Artslink website by writer Tammy Ballantyne. She describes the complete essence of "1st draught", choreographed by resident choreographer Sbonakaliso Ndaba.



''1st Draught but not the last"
FNB Dance Umbrella 201003/16/2010 11:52:26

"The final weekend of the FNB Dance Umbrella was overtaken by Cape Town-based companies and choreographers who gave Jozi-ites a lot to think about...

...The stage has been stripped bare - there are no wings, all the lights are exposed, stairways, doorways and entrances and exits are clearly visible. The tribe assemble to dance out a ritual, to weave magic, to offer us a potion so strong, our heads are spinning and reeling with images and sounds - of bodies engaged in such focused intensity, moments of incredible calm and stillness and moments of grinding speed it doesn't seem possible a human can move that fast.

Sbo Ndaba is the chief magician who has created a piece so powerful, it is like a sniff of the best snuff you can buy; we sneeze and shiver with heady delight. The dancers are bathed in soft light with red undertones, their upper bodies and heads completely white with body paint, their hands and wrists bright red. They wear blouson transparent pants, the men bare-chested, the women with tank tops, half-covered in red paint.

Silence.

Grant van Ster is in a pool of white light, he is bird-like. Someone is dancing upstairs, visible in the windows above the stage. Fingers feel the earth, let the grains of sand collect and filter through again to the ground. The ensemble is striking. Their line and depth of movement is exquisite and the gestural details, repeated in motifs, are visceral and real.

Partnering is intuitive and displays what training can achieve - these dancers know each other so well, they almost anticipate the jumps, catches and falls. They work with each other every day; they do class, they rehearse, they live together. This is all evident on stage.

Ndaba has cleverly utilised the space, it is organic and part of the piece. The dancers resemble sculptures as they watch, grouped in alcoves, archways, seated on stairs, in shadow in a doorway.

Shaun Oelf leaps and springs into the space; he is like a buck, poised, balanced and wiry, ready for flight. Phindile Kula (trained at the Dance Factory) draws the eye, she is haughty and accomplished. The dancers' sweat makes the paint run, white marks are all over the stage. Their connection to the earth is tangible.

These are the shape-shifters who drift in and out of the space until it is time for the ensemble to gather together in a breathtaking sequence with van Ster grunting commands, keeping control. They are riveting as they explore the entire space, catch each other, leap into the air and gather again.
Until the end where we return to silence and dancers melting into the earth, an intrinsic part of all those sand grains.

Ndaba's brew is hypnotic. It's not run-of-the-mill Black Label or Castle Lager. This one is home-brewed, uniquely Jazzart - ingredients include the Cape air, the spirits of the ancestors, the magic of the young and the gift of experience. Halala! The tribe has spoken..."

http://www.artlink.co.za/news_article.htm?contentID=24185

Jazzart Dance Theatre supported "dis!place" presented by Wilvan Dance Company

The Wilvan Dance Theatre is turning 42 years old this year.
To celebrate its rich history and contribution to dance and contemporary social issues, Wilvan has collaborated with Jazzart Dance Theatre, Zonnebloem Nest High School, the internationally-renowned Rosana Maya and poet Khadija Heeger, staging the production “dis!place” at the District Six Museum on the 20, 21 and 22 March 2010.

This production aimed to highlight the challenges of dislocation and the resilience of the human spirit, bringing to life a blend of flamenco, hip hop and other dance forms in an exciting and innovative way.

DisPlace! The Place to be….

Creating smiles in Prince Albert

Gordon Andries, the company dancers, and some of our trainees were in Prince Albert last week, doing workshops with the kids in the community, and putting on a spectacular open-air performance. The show took place at night on a rugby field, and it also involved the kids that the worked with. They took on the streets of Prince Albert with a parade of hand-made sculptures (to be candle-lit at night) built by the kids, walkng towards the rugby field.

Once the night sky arrived, the performance began!

The company put on a spectacular performance, and the trainees worked well with the kids.

Photographs alongside taken by Ruth Smith

THIS WEEK...

This weekend, some of our dancers will be performing in the annual Starlight Classics (hosted by FNB/Rand Merchant Bank) in Somerset West at the Vergelegen Wine Estate. This will be happening on the 5th & 6th of March (this Friday & Saturday) and the show will begin at 19h00. They will be perfoming alongside artists such as Johnny Clegg, Freshlyground, 20 Tenors, and many many more. Bring your picnic basket and blankets and bask in the magnificence of this amazing show.
This year's show will feature the all-consuming theme of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, together with the annual fusion of classical, contemporary, and african music.

Also, our company dancers and some trainee dancers, together with Outreach Director, Gordon Andries, and resident choreographer Sbonakaliso Ndaba, are out in Prince Albert this week doing workshops and performances. Keep up the good work guys!

AWARDS RECIPIENTS

On the 19th January 2010, we held a special ceremony in celebration of excellence.

Some of our board members, as well an external sponsor, decided to provide bursaries to trainees who they felt deserve to be rewarded.

The very deserving award recipients are as follows:
(from left to right on picture)

Elvis Sibeko - Showing great promise

Charlston van Rooyen - Artistic achievement

Leilah Kirsten - Personal Triumph

Tamaryn Schultz - Academic excellence

Enricho Solomons - Showing great promise