By Tshepiso Mogotsi
DANCE comes alive tonight, as The Dance Factory launches its leg of the annual Arts Alive International Festival currently on in Johannesburg.
This evening around 100 dancers and dozens of drummers will set pulses racing with a presentation of An African Spectacular, at The Dance Factory in Newtown.
The Arts Alive International Festival is the City of Johannesburg's annual spring cultural festival.
Dance troupes from around Johannesburg, including Soweto and Alexandra, will be among tonight's performers. Youth Stand Together, a group from Alexandra, is made up of youngsters all under the age of 16. Others taking part include Amagagu Endlamu from Thembisa, Amakhono we Sintu from Yeoville, the Impumulelo Cultural Dancing Group, Diepkloof's Siyabonga Khumbulani, the Thabisong Youth Club from Emdeni, and Via Katlehong.
Tonight's performance, on at 7.30pm, is the first of six dance spectaculars to be showcased as part of the Arts Alive International Festival. "An African Spectacular is dedicated to traditional African dances," said The Dance Factory's Suzette le Sueur.
On Saturday 20 September The Dance Factory presents Beyond Tradition, a contemporary African Afro-Fusion event. One of the highlights of this show will be the performance, by Thabisong Youth Club, of Sindomba, which combines the dramatic and meaningful movements from the Shembe, Shangaan and Tswana unspoken vocabularies. This show starts at 7.30pm.
Sunday 21 September showcases traditional African works, entitled Dance Afrika. The performance, which begins at 2.30pm, will feature Amakhono we Sintu, Thabisong Youth Club and African Theatre and Dance Group. The women of Amagagu Endlamu will dance male roles, and Siyabonga Khumbulani presents a star in the making in eight-year-old Katlego Thloe.
An unusual presentation, Night of the Shoes, on Thursday 25 September, is "a compilation of short, vibey works by people in shoes", according to Le Sueur. "In other shows shoes are optional, but not on this night," she added. The show is on at 7.30pm.
Contemporary and jazz dance fanatics are invited to witness young up-and-coming talent on Friday 26 September. The Platform, which starts at 6pm, highlights Portia Mashigo's Blues for Mama among other presentations.
The festival closes with Youth Day, a variety of dance performances by young artists from across Gauteng. Dances range from lambada to pantsula, contemporary dance to Indian and West African. Youth Day starts at 2.30pm.
Performances will be at The Dance Factory Theatre in Newtown. Tickets will be available at the door on the night at a cost of R30 for adults, R20 for students and pensioners, and R10 for youngsters under 16 and for groups of 10 or more people.
For more information contact The Dance Factory on 011 833 1347 or e-mail dancefactory@icon.co.za.
For a detailed programme of the Arts Alive events visit www.artsalive.co.za.
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