The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, and the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience presents their second annual edition of the JOMBA! MASIHAMBISANE DIALOGUES #2, a free three-day online dance colloquium on YouTube which runs from Wednesday, 25 to Friday, 27 May.
The year’s dialogues themed “Dancing Archives” are aimed supporting the growth of scholarship and dialogue as it affects the evolving development of dance, physical performance and its relationship to history, memory and our current society, these 2022 dialogues take the theme of “Dancing Archives”.
UKZN’s chair of the Colloquium Steering Committee and lecturer, Dr Lliane Loots, said: “The purpose of these dialogues is to stimulate robust discussions and debates over ideas of how embodied dance archivists (artists, scholars and curators) can be agents of change in how they create and think about an archive. We want to look at how and what is remembered, and this specifically in decentring capitalist, heteronormative, able-bodied patriarchy within the frames of, amongst other ideas, decoloniality and postcoloniality.”
Loots also said that this year’s dialogues will see keynote speakers such as Nadine Mackenzie from Unmute Dance Company, and she is joined, over the three days of the colloquium, by artists like Gregory Maqoma, Sonia Radebe, David April and Vincent Mantsoe. Continental voices, specifically looking at the role of dance festivals in re-making African archives, include Quito Tembe (Mozambique) and Adedayo Liadi (Nigeria).
“The dialogues also welcome a range of local and international young and established dance and performance scholars who will be sharing their works and ideas on this digital platform in carefully curated sessions. The final outcome of the dialogues will be an edited collection of papers (both written and digital) that will freely be available in the JOMBA! Masihambisane archives to read and watch,” she said.
The international editorial and steering committee include Dr Mbongeni Mtshali (UCT), Prof Yvette Hutchison (University of Warwick, UK), Clare Craighead (DUT), Dr Sarahlegh Castelyn (University of East London, UK), Dr Lliane Loots (UKZN), Gift Marovatsanga (UniZul), David April (UP) and Thobile Maphanga (UKZN).The JOMBA! Masihambisane 2022 dialogues will be live-streamed on 25, 26 and 27 May to the JOMBA! YouTube Chanel and can be accessed free of charge: https://www.youtube.com/jomba_dance.
There will also be a closed Zoom IP for direct participants and for those who wish to apply to join and be present in the Dialogues room.
To apply for direct access and to be present in the digital ‘room’ contact Thobile Maphanga on thobimaphanga@gmail.com
