Celebrating its 15th birthday this year, The Baxter Dance Festival has created a new platform for the Highfliers writes THERESA SMITH.
This new tier is aimed at established local choreographers who enjoy successful careers here and abroad, augmenting the Main Programme, which runs across six days of the 10 day Festival.
Cape Town’s premiere dance platform takes places from 26 September to 5 October 2019, featuring more than 50 works spanning genres from Latin American jazz to classical ballet with everything from belly dancing to flamenco in between.
Divided into four programmes
This festival of dance is divided into four programmes to make it easier for dance aficionados to get their annual fix.
“The dance community has served the festival well over the years and we are grateful to each one of them for making the programme richer and more meaningful. I am so proud that many successful careers have been launched at the Festival since its inception,” says Baxter Dance Festival Artistic Director Nicolette Moses. “
We are also deeply thankful to our partners, the City of Cape Town, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA), Tsogo Sun and the Lorenzo and Stella Chiappini Charitable Trust, for their unwavering support.”
The festival kicked off with Joburg-based dancer Ignatius van Heerden presenting the highly acclaimed Nijinsky’s War, which won a Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2017 National Arts Festival. It weaves together media and dance, drawing on Nijinsky’s influential works Afternoon of a Faun, Jeux (Games) and The Rite of Spring as it delves into the Russian dancer/choreographer’s life and grapple with mental illness.
Also on the Main Programme is the collaborative work Unravelled, by Sasha Fourie Myburgh, Marlin Zoutman, Lee Sophia Piedt, Rae Classen, Natasha Rhoda and Yaseen Manuel. The six artistic collaborators explore the constant search by humans to fill the emptiness, seeking for something so ideal that may not even exist.
The Off Main Programme on 28 September showcased the talent of emerging choreographers from the Western Cape as well as student work.
Highfliers tier
The eight works on offer in the Highfliers tier, take to the stage on Monday, 30 September at 8pm. The line-up includes Forever without end, choreographed by Celeste Botha and performed by 34/18 Youth Dance Group; Contraband, choreographed by Michelle Reid and performed by the Cape Academy of Performance Arts (CAPA); Say Something, Do Something, choreographed by Janine Booysens and performed by the Centre for Theatre, Dance & Performance Studies; Distance Call choreographed by Bruno Wani and performed by Dance for All South Africa Bridging Programme; Ingxolo yabafazi (Stories of women) choreographed by Sbonakaliso Ndaba and performed by Indoni Dance Arts and Leadership Academy; Oblivion choreographed by Craig Pedro and performed by Cape Town City Ballet; It’s ok choreographed by Marlin Zoutman and performed by New World Dance Theatre; and Dead Girls Dancing, choreographed by Ebrahim Medell and Abeedah Medell (assisted by Mishkaah Medell) and performed by the Eoan Group Theatre Company.
The rest of the Main Programme follows on Tuesday, 1 October to Friday, 4 October at 8pm, with four performances on the first two days, and three different performances on the last two days.
The first line-up are Maktub by Yaseen Manuel, Perspective by Yellow Frame Films (choreographed by Shirley-Anne Bezuidenhout), blame it on the algorithm by Darkroom Contemporary and Image by Dance Theater Africa (choreographed by Tercia Amsterdam).
The second set on 3 and 4 October feature Crossroad by Fo8, Sun of a Daughter by New World Dance Company (choreographed by Marlin Zoutman) and Aweh Maria by Garage Dance Company.
The Fringe Programme rounds out the festival on Saturday, 5 October at 1pm, featuring more than 20 works by youth groups, dance studios and traditional African dance groups.
More live shows in Cape Town.
What: Baxter Dance Festival 2019
Where, when: Baxter Theatre, 26 September – 5 October 2019. Main Programme nightly at 8pm, Highfliers 30 September at 8pm, Fringe Programme 5 October at 1pm
Baxter Dance Festival tickets: Webtickets
WS
