ARTSCAPE Theatre is set to celebrate Heritage Day in grand style, with the much anticipated 1976 Spirits, a mass dance creative explosion to be held at the venue’s Opera House on Saturday at 5pm.
This integrated dance production, features various internationally acclaimed dance companies - Jazzart Dance Theatre, Cape Academy of Performing Arts, Indoni Dance, Arts and Leadership Academy, Sibonelo Dance Project and Mamela Nyamza, and choreographers - Sifiso Kweyama, Mziyanda Mancam, Sibonakaliso Ndaba, Michelle Reid and Mzokuthula Gasa and company and was all conceptualised and curated by Mandla Mbothwe.
The show forms part of this year’s Heritage Festival, which is aimed at awarding a space for performances that are considerate and sensitive to the diverse nature of South Africa’s narrative.
“Heritage month is the time of remembering our fragmented memory and a time for a national introspection with a purpose of becoming a better national for all”, says Mandla Mbothwe, Creative Manager for Artscape Theatre.
“This conscious inclusive approach in our creative program is our attempt as an institution to ‘Excavate – Restore – Celebrate’ as this year’s festival theme suggests and it is time for sharing our experiences, our spirits and a time of resuscitating our purpose as Africans”, alluded Mandla.
This mass dance production, where contemporary dance meets the circus stunts and toyi-toyi meeting the traditional gospel will be showcasing theatrical accounts of 1976 June 16, with the past meeting the present, dance and physical movements created from the moves of that time which will bring that Smoky and dusty time of youth courage and resilience back to life on stage.
This one-off performance excavates, restores and celebrates the life of 1976 spirits through the medium of dance. - Staff Writer
l Book: Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7839, Computicket Outlets 0861 915 8000