JOMBA! honours legacy artist
In 2005, Sabbagha was named South African Artist of the Year and was included in The Star Tonight's annual list of the Top 100 South Africans.
THE 28th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at UKZN, has announced acclaimed South African choreographer and arts activist PJ Sabbagha as its 2026 JOMBA! Legacy Artist.
Sabbagha has played a pivotal role in shaping South Africa’s contemporary dance landscape through a career spanning more than three decades. He is the founding member, managing director and artistic director of The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative (FATC), which celebrates its 31st year in 2026.
He also established the Ebhudlweni Arts Centre and the annual My Body My Space Rural Public Arts Festival, both now in their 11th year.
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Widely recognised for his socially engaged dance theatre practice, Sabbagha received the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance in 2005 and the FNB Dance Umbrella Award for Best Choreography in 2006 for his work Still Here.
He was also honoured with awards for Most Outstanding Presentation of a New Work in 2005 and 2009 for The Double Room and Macbeth respectively.
JOMBA! artistic director Dr Lliane Loots said the award recognises not only Sabbagha’s artistic achievements, but also his longstanding commitment to community-centred arts practice.
“Deeply significant to the JOMBA! Legacy Award is PJ’s lifelong commitment not only to choreographic excellence, but also to community engagement and development. His pioneering work has expanded the reach of contemporary dance beyond urban centres and transformed how dance is created, shared and experienced in South Africa. We are deeply honoured to celebrate his contribution in this way,” said Loots.
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She added that Sabbagha’s career resonates strongly with the festival’s 2026 curatorial theme, Choreographies of Activism: Moving Bodies as Disruptive Presence.
The 2026 JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience takes place at the Sneddon Theatre in Durban from August 25 to September 6. A satellite festival will follow at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg from September 9-12.
For more information, visit jomba.ukzn.ac.za.
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