The first CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL, showcasing contemporary dance, poetry and film by artistes from around the world, opens in Cape Town today, writes DEBBIE HATHWAY.
THE plight of artists, in general, to earn a decent living from their craft is a worldwide phenomenon. Many will argue that their chances of success are better on foreign shores. And often they are right, because local audiences don’t back the artists among them who contribute so much to society on so many levels.
Theo Ndindwa is one dancer who has travelled and worked abroad, and returned home to channel his experience into creating opportunities for disadvantaged communities by nurturing young dance talent. His entry into the world of dance was secured through his training at Dance for All, a programme founded by former CAPAB principal dancer Philip Boyd and supported by the late Phyllis Spira. After he completed matric, they took Ndindwa to London to audition for the Rambert School of Ballet & Contemporary Dance and the Central School of Ballet which resulted in a six-year stretch performing in the UK.
Humble and unassuming, Ndindwa returned with little fanfare, quietly concentrating on laying the foundations for several major projects – importantly, with the support of his partner and wife, Tanya Arshamian – beginning with their formation of iKapa Dance Theatre in 2007 and culminating in the inception and coordination of the first Cape Town International Dance Festival which opens today.
I am reminded of the clichéd responses of beauty contestants dreaming of world peace when I think of the number of people who, while striving for or celebrating success in their field, pledge to “give back” to the people/town/community they associate with for whatever reason. How many really follow through, I wonder? Ndindwa does.
Having been raised in the historically disadvantaged township of Gugulethu, and being afforded the opportunity for a career in dance, Ndindwa has always been committed to social development. Through the iKapa Dance Training and Outreach School children in Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Philippi and New Cross Roads experience the physical, mental and emotional upliftment that occurs naturally through dance exercise and learn valuable life skills. Ndindwa is the co-founder of Arts Township International, which launched the Community Creative District in Gugulethu last year, incorporating the iKapa Performance Festival. Ndindwa was one of only two professional performing artists chosen for the 2014 Mandela Fellowship (part of the Young African Leaders Initiative), which comprised a six-week training programme in civic engagement at Tulane University in New Orleans.
The realisation of the Cape Town International Dance Festival is the result of a three-year collaboration between iKapa Dance Theatre, the Maboneng Township Arts Experience Festival(a national public arts initiative) and Battery Dance from New York.
“The Festival aims to promote the development of South African arts and culture, and inspire a connection between people from culturally diverse backgrounds. With its geography bearing witness to its deeply divided past, Cape Town is ideally positioned to help us realise this goal by enabling us to cross over these physically and psychologically ingrained divides, providing invitations to all communities to share experiences that entertain the spirit and inspire the soul.”
Commenting on the theme of the festival, Town and Township, Maboneng Arts Township Experience executive director Siphiwe Ngwenya says that it seeks to bring world-class performances to “previously unexposed audiences”.
Supported by the Artscape Theatre Centre, the festival programme comprises a week of dance workshops, poetry and film as well as evening performances from Saturday to December 3, showcasing dance companies from the US, Spain, China, Finland, Mozambique and South Africa. On Sunday, dance enthusiasts are invited to join the Maboneng Township Arts Experience Festival in a full-day creative and cultural encounter, featuring six local and six international companies, that will turn homes and outdoor spaces in Gugulethu into performance districts.
As the event’s artistic director, Ndindwa has been integral in bringing the festival to life alongside Jonathan Hollander, founder of Battery Dance Company and Battery Dance Festival, New York City’s longest-running public dance festival. “It’s incredible to be at the forefront of such a dynamic and progressive event. The festival comes at a relevant time for our city, with the whole country undergoing deep economic and cultural transformation. Furthermore, it echoes this change by bringing together people from different countries, cultures, and social and economic backgrounds. It cuts across different arts genres and locations, breaking down barriers to build a nation and society that is engaged and united. We can’t wait to welcome our visitors, both local and international,” says Ndindwa.
Among the 12 dance companies that will be participating at the Cape Town International Dance Festival are Jin Xing Dance Theatre (China), Battery Dance (New York), Entomo (Spain), Pori Dance Company (Finland) as well as iKapa Dance, Cape Town City Ballet, Vuyani Dance Company and Jazzart Dance Theatre from South Africa.
Hollander adds: “As part of its 40th-anniversary celebrations, Battery Dance is overjoyed to join with its partners at iKapa Dance Theatre in realising the shared vision of an international dance festival in Cape Town. From the first days of their collaboration in 2012 through to the present time, the two companies have recognised their mutuality of purpose which is beautifully exemplified by the town and township aspect of a festival that has attracted top talents from near and far, and will surely grow into an important cultural nexus in Africa.”
l For the full programme, www.ikapadancetheatre.co.za, 0861 915 8000.