Dancers from Moving Into Dance Mophatong, Johannesburg perform in Robyn Orlin’s “Beauty remained for just a moment and then returned gently to her starting position…” (picture supplied)

JOMBA! VIRTUALLY UNLOCKED

By Langi Ramashia

True to 2020’s newfound virtual aesthetic, JOMBA! marks its 22nd anniversary with its first ever online festival. The two-week dance programme will run from the 25 August — 6 September.

This year’s edition is packaged in the form of seven platforms that highlight various streams of the JOMBA! community.

The first platform titled JOMBA! Legacy offers the work of nine global connoisseurs in what can be deemed a celebration of “21 years of JOMBA!”. From the US we are reconnected with the likes of Chicago-based company Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, to New Orleans’ Leslie Scott and the BODYART Dance Company. Within the African diaspora, we find South Africa’s Gregory Maqoma (Vuyani Dance Theatre) along with Musa Hlatshwayo (Mhayise Productions), the latter offering a work that pays tribute to the late Credo Mutwa. Additionally, Berlin/Johannesburg’s Robyn Orlin teams up with Moving Into Dance Mophatong for the acclaimed “Beauty remained for just a moment then returned gently to her starting position…”; Also included is Senegal’s Germaine Acogny and from Nigeria Adedayo Liadi and Ijodee Dance Company in collaboration with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company. From India, Anita Ratnam offers feisty feminist re-tellings of Hindu folklore, and lastly Introdans from the Netherlands with their neo-classical style bring the JOMBA! Legacy platform to a close.

With the idea of “Intimacies of Isolation” as the underlying theme, the second platform dubbed JOMBA! DIGITAL EDGE showcases the works of nine KZN-based dance maskers, many of whom are working digitally for the first time. These digitals pieces will make their debut on the opening night of the festival and will remain available for streaming throughout the duration of the festival.

DANCE ON SCREEN (USA) stands as the third platform and consists of ten dance films curated into an hour-long depiction of the varied contemporary American experience, with particular focus on diverse representations.

The fourth platform, the DIGITAL JOMBA! FRINGE is sure to delight with its eclectic mix of submissions. Eight short works (selected from eithteen submissions) will be screened on this platform, after which the top three “Pick-of-The-Fringe” awardees will be announced.

Saturday and Sunday’s afternoon sessions will be occupied by the fifth platform’s DANCE IN THE DIGITAL AGEconversations with Vincent Mantsoe, Jürg Koch, Themba Mbuli and Ondiege Matthew, as they unpack their lockdown creation processes.

The sixth platform is made up of the JOMBA! KHULUMA BLOG and KHULUMA D!G!TAL EDITION. This platform showcases the previews, reviews and interviews of participants from the festival’s closed dance writing residency, which this year includes participants from Durban, Johannesburg, USA and the UK.

The final platform 21 YEARS OF JOMBA! THROUGH THE LENS offers a glimpse into some of the highlights of festival photographer Val Adamson’s 21-years of photographing the festival.

The Digital JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience can be accessed via the JOMBA! website and is completely free of charge.