Jazzart Dance Theatre celebrated half century with a festival of dance.

Jazzart Dance Theatre celebrated its 50th anniversary that year. To mark the occasion, the contemporary dance company embarked on an ambitious year of performances and cultural activity under the banner: ‘50 Years of Dance.’ These events showcased the company’s rich history, its influential cultural reach, and celebrated the contributions of the many dancers, choreographers, teachers, sponsors, funders, and leaders who had built and continued to take the organisation to new heights.

Since its founding in 1973

Jazzart had made a significant contribution to arts & culture, heritage, youth development, and job creation, and had been at the forefront of the dance industry, pushing the boundaries of African contemporary dance and exploring the rich culture of the country.

Marcus Desando, Chairperson of the Board, said of this celebration: “In this important milestone year for Jazzart, we believed it was an ideal time to showcase our cultural offering as a longstanding dance company and training institution that had successfully grown and contributed to dance for half a century. Dance is an exceptional expression of self, circumstance and narrative and was probably more important then than it had ever been, in a time where the world was needing creative outlets to ‘let go’.”

Echoing Desando’s comments, Managing Director of the NPC, Averil Barry-Hughes remarked on the achievements, saying: “I was enormously proud of what this company had accomplished over its five decades, especially the incredible social impact it had had on youth across the country. Jazzart was positive proof that passion is a prerequisite for dance, not body shape, gender, or age. I was not only looking forward to this year’s celebrations, but also the future as we continued to grow a love of dance and spread our message to youth in communities across the country.”

The Performances:

The ‘50 Years of Dance’ celebratory programme of activity started with an exciting international production & world premiere of ‘Requiem: Journeys of the Soul’ choreographed by Jazzart’s Artistic Director Dane Hurst, in collaboration with Phoenix Dance Theatre and Opera North. It featured two new dance works set to the classical music masterpiece, ‘Requiem’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and a new composition ‘After Tears’ by celebrated South African composer Neo Muyanga. The production in its full capacity featured 16 dancers with 40 opera singers plus live orchestra and had its world premiere at the Leeds Grand Theatre from May 26 to June 4, 2023.

The company dancers then returned to South Africa to continue the celebration back home at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda from June 30 – July 2. And still on the home front, the new cohort of trainees from the Three-year Dance Training programme led by newly appointed Training Manager, Celeste Botha, showcased their talent at an in-studio performance from July 4 – July 8. Avid Friends of Jazzart were encouraged to join in experiencing the start of the journey of these young artists. This evening of dance showcased ‘a day in the life of a Jazzart trainee dancer’ and included a new work by previous Artistic Director, Sifiso Kweyama.

Jazzart continued to tour performances for the remainder of the year culminating in the premiere of Jazzart Dance Theatre’s Meraki Festival – Meraki (v.) to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to leave a piece and essence of yourself in your work. The festival ran from October 5 – October 14 at Artscape with a host of celebrated and multi-award-winning local and national choreographers, dancers, and companies including Cape Town Opera, Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, and UK-based Phoenix Dance Theatre in the remounting of Requiem: Journeys of the Soul.

The Jazzart anniversary celebration was a true celebration of dance across South Africa and beyond with an exciting, poignant, and thought-provoking programme in celebration of the power and longevity of contemporary dance.

Publicity: Kaz Henderson, Network PR at kaz@networxpr.co.za