THERESA SMITH
This year The Baxter Dance Festival kicks off with a rare Mother City performance by Johannesburg-based Moving Into Dance Mophatong on October 5.
The contemporary African dance company is at the forefront of developing Afro-fusion and Edu-dance styles, and is recognised as a significant development organisation and acclaimed professional dance company.
Festival Director Nicolette Moses says she is excited about MIDM’s Cape Town appearance: “I am eternally grateful to the MIDM management for making it possible for the dancers to come down here.”
“They’re phenomenal, they just have a different feel and dance vocabulary,” she enthuses.
Challenging the audience
“What I’ve been trying to do over the past 13 years is to add someone who can challenge the audience.”
MIDM will bring just 4 of the 73 choreographers who will present more than 64 dances pieces over the eight day showcase.
This year Moses received more than 200 applications from around the world which she ruthlessly cut down. She concentrated on local companies as the festival aims to showcase local talent, but is sad that she couldn’t include international companies.
“There is a dire lack of funding when it comes to dance festivals. I am forging partnerships with companies overseas, but that’s a long term project.
“We are look at ways to get organisations to part with money, so we can get companies to travel to Cape Town,” she explained.
One Baxter Dance Festival tradition she has expanded on this year is how the commissioned work is structured.
This year’s commissioned choreographer, Standard Bank Young Artist for Dance 2016 Themba Mbuli, auditioned dancers and has now created a new work, Autho(r)ise for four female artists he has never worked with before.
“I challenged him – ‘I don’t want you working in your comfort zone’. This was a first for him, as he’s always worked extensively with men. The final decision about what concept to go with was dependent on what bodies he would work with.”
“For me it was a challenge when he said he wanted an original score, but I paired him up with Meryl van Noie from The SA College of Music here at UCT. Her background is composition. Both of them have been beaming. It appears to be a match made in heaven,” explained Moses.”
‘TRANSIT’ by The Floating Outfit Project
Also on this year’s programme is choreographer Desiré Davids, who will present work in Cape Town for the first time. The Paarl-born dancer/choreographer has worked in Durban and is now based in France and she presents TRANSIT by The Floating Outfit Project on October 11 and 12 on the Main Programme.
The Main programme of invited and commissioned works runs on October 5 and 6 and then from October 9 to 13 every night. In addition to MIDM festival-goers can expect to see Marlin Zoutman’s New World Dance Theatre, the UCT School of Dance, Jazzart Dance Theatre, Charlie van Rooyen (ex Jazzart) with a new company and the Kirvan Fortuin Company.
The Off Main Programme on Saturday October 7 features work by up and coming choreographers, including student work, and the Fringe Programme on Saturday October 15 includes works by youth groups, dance schools, traditional dance companies and school groups.
What: 13th Baxter Dance Festival, 2017
Where: The Baxter Theatre, Rosebank, Cape Town
When: October 5 to 14
Book: Season tickets on Main Programme R250, single tickets 40 and R100
See the Programme: http://bit.ly/2x0kMbx
Web: www.baxter.co.za
WS
