Dance Umbrella is back for its 29th edition

Dance Umbrella, the annual festival that showcases all things dance, celebrates 29 years of choreography and empowerment in the arts.

Georgina Thomson, artistic director of Dance Umbrella, was able to break down the events that are set to take place during the 10-day festival and let City Buzz in on some exciting information.

This year, the focus of the festival is to create an opportunity for the young people in the industry.

“We decided to focus on young artists – there are older artists, but the majority of the performers are young artists,” said Thomson.

Regarding their selection of young artists for this year’s line-up she explained, “You have to shuffle things all the time because a lot of artists don’t have the luxury of a secure space where they can perform and strengthen themselves. A lot of the people in the programme will get the opportunity to be seen by international programmers, so they’ll get the opportunity to show their work to people who wouldn’t normally see it.”

The festival is set to run from 23 February to 5 March at a number of venues including Wits University’s Linder Auditorium, the National School of Arts in Braamfontein and the Workers’ Museum in Newtown, among other spaces.

As per usual, the tone of the festival is set to take on and challenge stereotypes and socio-political issues as seen in society today and in the past.

Nhlanhla Mahlangu’s Workers’ Chant tells the story of the workers who were housed at the Workers’ Museum, as they moved in and out of the compounds; while Rudi van der Merwe and Béatrice Graf tackle the issue of women being secondary beings in society, in their piece titled Tropheé.

Tickets range from R20 to R120 and each performance offers a unique perspective on the challenges that we, as a society, face in everyday life.

Don’t miss out on Dance Umbrella 2017.

Details: www.danceforumsouthafrica.co.za

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