Jazzart Dance Theatre will host a Tribute to Talent showcase to celebrate their 50th birthday later this month.
The showcase which will include past and present performers in their upcoming “Encore” theatre production at the Artscape Theatre on 29 February and 1 March – the finale of the institution’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The mixed-bill programme is set to be a joyful and mesmerising performance and features an outstanding array of dance works created by award-winning artists and guest companies, who will perform alongside Jazzart’s own company of professional dancers and trainees.
The celebration will feature a special headline appearance by Alfred Hinkel and John Linden’s Garage Dance Ensemble to honour their invaluable contribution. The works presented are choreographed by Byron Klassen and Marlin Zoutman.
The jam-packed production will showcase works by ex-Jazzart Artistic Directors Sifiso Kweyama, Jackie Manyaapelo and alumni artists Sbonakaliso Ndaba from Sbo Ndaba Dance, Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf from Figure of 8 Dance Collective, Tanzley Jooste from Baba Yaya African Performing Arts Academy along with Zoutman and Celeste Botha from New World Dance Theatre.
Returning to stage for an alumni- specific dance piece are dancers hailing from the early 90s. They include Gregg Adams, Sbonakaliso Ndaba, Lewellyn Afrika and Keenun Wales.
Jazzart’s Artistic Director Dane Hurst says: “In my time leading this group of extremely talented dancers, it has been such a privilege.
“The footprints left by all those who have come before me, have laid the foundations for what is now an impressive contemporary dance company comparable to some of the best in the world.”
Hurst says they are grateful to their audiences and funders who have come out to support them and who ensure that they are set for the next 50. Over the past 50 years, Jazzart has led the way in contemporary dance in SA, with numerous graduates going on to forge successful international careers.
Over the past 12 months, the company has played to a growing audience of dance enthusiasts who appreciate the skill, dexterity and sheer beauty of the fluidity of their movement to express the depth of human emotion.
From the world premiere of Mozart’s Requiem in Leeds last June to its performance on home soil in October, a series of master classes, workshops, and other notable performances, Jazzart’s celebration of half a century has been a triumph of spirit.