(Pics by Val Adamson Photography)
“And a 5,6,7,8 ……” Returning to The
Playhouse Company Opera from September 6 to 17, 2019, the annual dance showcase
Shall We Dance is back with more
steps than the mythical stairway to heaven.
Celebrating its 27th year this year, the
annual showcase extravaganza of Durban’s diverse dance scene will be on stage
for ten performances only. Dance styles featured this year include the daring,
jaw-dropping Adage; traditional and contemporary Ballet; breath-taking
Ballroom; sensational Belly; beautiful Bollywood; toe-tapping Irish; stylish
Jazz and of course, sensational Latin American.
A couple that has been dancing for six
years together makes their Shall We Dance
debut as one of the featured couples this year. Hailing from Durban, Lezariah
Blignaut and Nkululeko Khumalo have a string of titles to their name including
Arnold Classique- Finalists; three times holders of the adult championship
standard in the Gold Cup Challenge; KZN Championship Ballroom Finalists; SADTA
SA Champs where they placed second in the adult ballroom championship and DSSA
SA Finalists.
After dazzling audiences last year in their
South African debut, the main featured couple from Europe have been invited
back for more ‘wow’ Ballroom and Latin numbers. Danish, Nikolaj Lund and Polish
Marta Kocik have danced their way across most of the world, notching up
trophies and titles from Denmark all the way to Japan for their high energy,
vivid, sensual and passionate performances.
Graceful strong man, Gerhard Van Rooyen
takes to the stage this year with Amor Kruger. Having just returned from
Cyprus, the duo will be sharing the phenomenal Cirque du Soleil, acrobatic
style of Adage.
A number of Dance studios from around
Durban with a total of 100 dancers have been hard at work behind the scenes,
not only choreographing their performance but also creating, often from
scratch, the phenomenal array of colourful costumes which the Durban audiences
get to witness. These hand-crafted, one of a kind designs can take up an
unbelievable number of hours, some with literally hundreds of sequins added
onto the garments.
Each year, the showcase introduces some
fabulous tracks that accompany the action. Music is a big part of Shall We Dance, with carefully-planned
eclectic musical choices to support the dance programme – gleaned from
contemporary artists as well as ever-greens.
The annual extravaganza is presented by the
South African Dance Teachers’ Association. The show is produced and directed by
dance stalwarts Caryl Cusens and Neville Letard. Taking up his familiar role as
eMcee, Damon Beard will be back on stage with the microphone.
Ticket prices range from R100 to R160, with
concessions being offered on specific dates. Booking is through Webtickets or
instore at Pick n Pay Supermarkets or Hypermarkets.
For more information like the Facebook page,
Shall We Dance Durban.
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