JOMBA! FOR YOUTH FOCUS

 

(Above: Youth Horizons - pic from last year's performance. Pic by Val Adamson)

A feast of dance for younger audiences at JOMBA’s 25th edition

A delightful mix of contemporary dance for young (and young at heart) audiences is on offer at this year’s JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience as part of the 13-day festival that runs in Durban from August 29 to September 10, 2023.

JOMBA! has partnered with ASSITEJ (the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People) an international alliance of professionals involved in theatre for children and young people, to offer a special “JOMBA! For Youth Focus” that opens up contemporary dance performance for younger audiences.

JOMBA! welcomes artists from both Switzerland and the Netherlands in this new JOMBA! programme that travels to schools and which also offers public performances.

(Above: De Stilte. Pic by Hans Gerritsen)

From The Netherlands, de Stilte is a dance company that focuses entirely on developing productions and performing for children. Since their foundation in 1994, they have expanded to become the most attended youth theatre producer in the Netherlands. They bring Flying Cow choreographed by Jack Timmermans and is the story of two girls and a boy who embark on a stand-off. When there are three of you, who plays with whom? Flying Cow explores how children play together, trying to outdo each other, taking each other’s things and company, teasing, sharing, consenting, finding a way for threesomes to play This work is suitable for audience 5+ (adults most welcome, too!). Flying Cow will be performed at The Stable Theatre on Friday, September 1 at 14h30, and on Saturday, September 2 at 10h00.

(Above: Game Theory reaching group: Dancers Claudio Costantino, Sandra Klimek, Angela Demattè. Pic by Patrick Frauchiger)

Switzerland’s Joshua Monten, brings a delightful engrossing work called Game Theory that will travel to two prebooked Durban schools in KwaMashu and Umlazi. In Game Theory Monten looks deeply at some of the building blocks of play: freedom and rules, ritual and surprise, adrenaline and flow. The result is a witty and humorous look at the human condition and the games people play.

A highlight for young dancers is the JOMBA! Youth Open Horizons at The Stable Theatre on Sunday September 3 at 14h00 which features dancers under 16 years performing works created within local studios from KwaMashu, Umlazi, Clermont, Musgrave, Pietermaritzburg, Lindelani, Chatsworth and Quarry Heights. This event is free and is a beautiful and joyful way to honour youth dance programmes happening in and around our city.

Tickets for Flying Cow are R50 (students, scholars, pensioners). Booking through Computicket.

For more information and for the full programme to see what else is on offer at the festival go to https://jomba.ukzn.ac.za/