See what this blogger posted about Danscape:
http://andrewlouw.posterous.com/cult-gathering-in-the-cbd-no-danscape-at-the
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Danscape review
The Jazzart Dance Theatre - Review
Written by: Daphne Jubber 28/07/2010
The Jazzart Dance Theatre last week hosted their annual bursary fund-raiser at the Artscape Theatre and I attended their opening night in the company of an American dancer.
She asked whether the theatre was new in Cape Town—my reply about its previous name and history brought home to me just how much the place had evolved—from the Nico Malan, boycotted by much of our population, to its present status in the forefront of promoting the arts and showcasing the talents of all….and also to the mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship between Jazzart and the theatre. We need to thank the foresight of the management of Jazzart and of the theatre when the decision was taken to move Jazzart into the theatre complex—a physical proximity which has generated such fruitful artistic collaboration…
The Jazzart Company gave us ample evidence of just how well they can utilise the venue by starting the evening with a performance staged on the front stairs outside the complex—a perfect setting for the cast to play with fire and its effects and to involve dancers ranged on the steps and amongst the audience. We then followed them and their lanterns into the theatre and settled down to watch an evening of dance provided by the various off-shoots and development programs spawned by the mother company. Just how prolific the “mother” has been is evident by the list of these with the names of the items performed and of the choreographers, mostly all trained by Jazzart.
Jazzart’s Young Adult Training and Job Creation Programme: “Ukushaya” (Ananda Fuchs) and “Ngafa” (Sbonakaliso Ndaba)
Nyanga Arts Development Centre: A piece showing what they have learnt this year. (Wendy Thoane)
CYDC 34-18 and Tercia Kindo Arts Project: “Empty Thoughts” (Gordon Andries and Myziyanda Mancam)
Wynberg Senior Secondary School: “Limited Space” (Douglas Griffiths)
Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre from Durban: “Human Ladder” Neliswa Rushualang)
Jazzart Dance Theatre’s professional company. “Iqiniso” (A collaboration)
Also included in the programme were two members of the Zip Zap Circus who performed impressive aerial choreography on red silks and the Vadhini Indian Arts Academy and Jikeleza Dance Project who brought their seemingly disparate choreographic backgrounds together with an innovative collaboration of styles in “Divinity” by Ina Wichterich-Mogane.
The whole evening was linked together by a pint-sized MC whose confidence belied his age and who was ably assisted by a Jazzart trainee. They had the pleasure of announcing the names of the recipients of the bursaries: for artistic excellence, academic excellence, triumph over adversity and two for the most promising students.
The funds raised by DANSCAPE all go to the Jazzart Bursary Fund which gives much needed financial support to young people who wish to pursue a career in the arts.
My American companion remarked at the vitality of all the dancers—with no exception, every one of them gave full energy and made the most of this fabulous opportunity to dance on the Artscape stage. They also performed with passion and a feeling from within—something which my friend said can be something sorely lacking in some dancers who may have perfect bodies and precise technique but whose performance can lack soul.
However having said that--some of the numbers did get slightly repetitive and more could have been made of patterning and formation. There is much that can be done within the contemporary genre and though some numbers did show innovative juxtapositions of styles, perhaps training in other dance forms and techniques would stand these young dancers in good stead if they are pursuing a career in the arts.
The laudable work of Jazzart and its development programs is highly deserving. May they go from strength to strength.
DanceDirectory & Jazzart Competition Ticket Winner had this to say..."The show was fantastic!!!! Will make sure we go again next year. Thank you." - Annalene Kemp
Visit DanceDirectory regularly for the latest dance news and information on dance events worldwide.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Press release
Jazzart’s dance showcase celebrates South African talent
Jazzart Dance Theatre and some of South Africa’s most talented dancers provide another good reason to celebrate being South African this July.
As World Cup fever fades Jazzart’s annual dance showcase Danscape promises to lift audiences’ spirits with a feast of diverse dance styles when it is staged at Artscape from 22 – 25 July.
Contemporary, African and Indian dance genres will be performed and also fused together in works performed by youth arts organisations under the direction of Jackie Manyaapelo, Jazzart’s artistic director.
Danscape 2010 will feature the artistry of Durban-based Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre, CAFDA Youth Dance Company, Tertia Kindo Arts Project, Jikeleza Dance Project and Vadhini Indian Arts Academy, as well as dancers from Western Cape Education Departments Arts and Culture Focus Schools. The Jazzart company and trainee dancers will also perform new works, while Zip Zap Circus has also helped some dancers incorporate circus art into their repertoire.
Manyaapelo believes Danscape 2010 is a great example of how South African artists can contribute to the process of nation-building. “Dance is one of the most profound ways of initiating healing and growth, as it takes what is great from all the strands of our cultural heritage and weaves them together into a distinctly South African art form,” she says.
“The 2010 season will offer audiences a taste of the future, and will show how far down the road we are in the process of nation-building and of creating dance that honours our collective cultural heritage.”
“On a more personal level, the montage of dance works is a homage to the contributions of all those who have guided Jazzart on its journey to this point, and to all those unsung dance ‘heroes’ who have worked so passionately at a community level to pass on a love and appreciation of dance to young South Africans,” adds Manyaapelo.
Danscape 2010 will be staged at the Artscape Theatre from Thursday, July 22 until Sunday, July 25. There will be shows nightly at 20h15 from July 22 – 24, with a 15h00 matinee on July 24. The final show will take place on Sunday, July 25 at 18h00.
Tickets are R50, or R20 for block bookings of 20 tickets or more.
Bookings can be made through Computicket or Artscape’s Dial-a-Seat on tel. 021-421-7695. For further information visit www.jazzart.co.za
Danscape 2010 is kindly supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, ARTSCAPE, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Distell, GrandWest Cape Culture and Heritage Foundation, National Arts Council, Chiappini Charitable Trust, Debbie Goodman Bursary Fund, Sello Leshope and patrons of Jazzart’s “Adopt-a-Dancer” programme.
Jazzart Dance Theatre and some of South Africa’s most talented dancers provide another good reason to celebrate being South African this July.
As World Cup fever fades Jazzart’s annual dance showcase Danscape promises to lift audiences’ spirits with a feast of diverse dance styles when it is staged at Artscape from 22 – 25 July.
Contemporary, African and Indian dance genres will be performed and also fused together in works performed by youth arts organisations under the direction of Jackie Manyaapelo, Jazzart’s artistic director.
Danscape 2010 will feature the artistry of Durban-based Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre, CAFDA Youth Dance Company, Tertia Kindo Arts Project, Jikeleza Dance Project and Vadhini Indian Arts Academy, as well as dancers from Western Cape Education Departments Arts and Culture Focus Schools. The Jazzart company and trainee dancers will also perform new works, while Zip Zap Circus has also helped some dancers incorporate circus art into their repertoire.
Manyaapelo believes Danscape 2010 is a great example of how South African artists can contribute to the process of nation-building. “Dance is one of the most profound ways of initiating healing and growth, as it takes what is great from all the strands of our cultural heritage and weaves them together into a distinctly South African art form,” she says.
“The 2010 season will offer audiences a taste of the future, and will show how far down the road we are in the process of nation-building and of creating dance that honours our collective cultural heritage.”
“On a more personal level, the montage of dance works is a homage to the contributions of all those who have guided Jazzart on its journey to this point, and to all those unsung dance ‘heroes’ who have worked so passionately at a community level to pass on a love and appreciation of dance to young South Africans,” adds Manyaapelo.
Danscape 2010 will be staged at the Artscape Theatre from Thursday, July 22 until Sunday, July 25. There will be shows nightly at 20h15 from July 22 – 24, with a 15h00 matinee on July 24. The final show will take place on Sunday, July 25 at 18h00.
Tickets are R50, or R20 for block bookings of 20 tickets or more.
Bookings can be made through Computicket or Artscape’s Dial-a-Seat on tel. 021-421-7695. For further information visit www.jazzart.co.za
Danscape 2010 is kindly supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, ARTSCAPE, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Distell, GrandWest Cape Culture and Heritage Foundation, National Arts Council, Chiappini Charitable Trust, Debbie Goodman Bursary Fund, Sello Leshope and patrons of Jazzart’s “Adopt-a-Dancer” programme.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
DANSCAPE 2010
Jazzart Dance Theatre this year plays host to youth arts organisations which have been integral to the enduring success of DANSCAPE since it began in 1999. The Jazzart team, in conjunction with these young artists, will create a montage of works that celebrate their contributions, and the contributions of all those who have guided Jazzart on its journey to this point.Directed by Jacqueline Manyaapelo and featuring CYDC 34/18, Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre, Tercia Kindo Arts Project, Jikeleza Dance Project, Vadhini Indian Arts Academy, and WCED Arts and Culture Focus Schools, Danscape 2010 will offer a taste of the future wonder she will inspire with the living legacy that is Jazzart Dance Theatre.
Supported by National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, ARTSCAPE, Department of Cultural Affairs & Sport, Distell, GrandWest Cape Culture & Heritage Foundation, National Arts Council, Rand Merchant Bank, British Council, Chiappini Charitable Trust, Debbie Goodman Bursary Fund, Sello Leshope and Jazzart Adopt-a-Dancer patrons.
Venue:
Artscape Theatre
Dates:
Thursday 22 July – 20h15
Friday 23 July – 20h15
Saturday 24 July – 15h00
Saturday 24 July – 20h15
Sunday 25 July – 18h00
Ticket price:
R50 throughout
R20 per ticket for block booking of 20 or more
Bookings can be made at Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-seat 021 421 7695
Friday, May 21, 2010
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.”
Monday, April 19, 2010
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...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
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
''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
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