BURN THE FLOOR with MAGICAL DANCING FEET at The Joburg Theatre

As a young South African theatre and arts writer, I’ve NEVER had such a breathtaking theatrical experience. 

Its one of those experiences that; one would go, “One day I would love to check this out in New York”, or anywhere else in the world”. So when I heard that, The Joburg Theatre was bringing BURN THE FLOOR to the Mandela stage, I could not stop checking my calendar and anxiously wait for the opening night.

And last night was finally the time I’ve been going on and on about, on my twitter account, facebook, BBM and any other social network known to man.

BURN THE FLOOR is the show most dance lovers would associate with the likes of So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars, Step it Up and Dance and other dance work phenomenon most of us watch on YouTube. The show is under the direction and choreography of Jason Gilkison, most of you might know as one of the guest choreographers for So You Think You can Dance, America and for the most recent Step Up 3D, the movie.

 It’s a reinvention of ballroom with a twist of magical dancing feet. The energy is enough to leave you sitting at the edge of your seat as the dancers make you feel like you’re watching a dance movie with all the dance moves on fast-forward. The dances vary from Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba, the Viennese Waltz, Tango to a gripping passionate scene of the Paso Doble. 

 If you thought you’ve seen fast moving dancing feet from the Pansula dance, you’re eyes will stop blinking as you watch the speed entailed from this show. The choreography features a magnificent combination of pure ballroom technique, velocity, liveliness and most importantly, the entertainment factor. 

 Most dancers often forget to “perform” and end up putting focus more on the routines, choreography and director’s notes, forgetting the essence of adding their own flavor, spirit and passion which in turn, enables the viewer to bring about the same atmosphere towards a performance.

I’ve seen many dance shows and have also seen dancers fall down and tremble upon reaching a trance phase while performing. With BURN THE FLOOR, you’d swear the dancers are ALL possessed and attacked by some spiritual sensation which enables them to literally burn the floor more and more as the music plays. 

As an audience, you can factually see their feet rambling, the heads banging, the bodies shifting from one step to the other and the delight thereof from their faces, as though dancing is the only language they know to speak. 

I would actually encourage all theatre and dance lovers, especially dancers and choreographers to make a date for this show, as I believe it will change the way they look at dancing and they’ll be sure to learn the recipe of quality dancing as an art.

BURN THE FLOOR will run till August 14^th, shows are Tues – Frid at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm and 5:30pm. Tickets are priced from R195 and are on sale on http://www.joburgtheatre.com/ or by purchasing a “print at home” ticket online or alternatively calling the theatre on 0861 670 670 and for group bookings, one can call 011 877 6853.


Let me know of your views and opinions by dropping your comment and let’s chat as to how South African theatre can one day produce such magic.

Desperate First Ladies returns to Gold Reef's Lyric Theatre

This singular and always-glamorous grande dame will be holding forth alongside occasional collaborator Pieter-Dirk Uys and a number of special guests in the side-splitting comedy show Desperate First Ladies, which returns to Gold Reef City’s Lyric Theatre over – you guessed it – the weekend preceding Women’s Day, from 5 to 7 August 2011.

Tannie Evita will be chatting to a different prominent South African woman at each performance in a manner that promises to peel away their layers to reveal the humanity (we hope) and humour (we pray) behind our country’s power-poppies.

Sitting in the hot seat with Evita at the various performances are: 702 Talk Radio presenter and regular marathon runner Redi Tlhabi (née Direko) on Friday, 5 August; DA party spokesperson and shadow minister of rural development and land reform Lindiwe Mazibuko on Saturday, 6 August; and Sindy Mabe, who is the anchor of e.tv’s Sunrise breakfast show and an avid book lover, on Sunday, 7 August.
Evita is South Africa’s most famous white woman – yes, even more so than Helen Zille and Amor Vittone – and is the consummate political survivor and opportunist, having ditched the Nats to become chef to the current ruling elite.

In Desperate First Ladies, Evita will also graciously share the stage with a chorus line of other outspoken and iconic women from all walks of life, including Cape Malay DA firebrand Mrs Petersen, rof bergie Wilhelmina Opklim, and the (maybe) former first lady of Libya, Madame Gaddafi. Oh, and look out for guest appearances by the likes of Mother Teresa, who is manning the telephone exchange in heaven while Marilyn Monroe and the other angels are on strike!

Don’t miss Desperate First Ladies, a series of uproarious satirical sketches designed to celebrate Women’s Day in fabulously glamorous style, at the Lyric Theatre this August. Performances take place at 20:30 from 5 to 7 August. Tickets are priced at R150.00. Book through Computicket or the Lyric Theatre box-office on 011 248 0000. Log onto www.goldreefcity.co.za or follow @GoldReefCitySA on Twitter to keep up with Gold Reef City news and events.

BURN THE FLOOR sets the stage on fire @ the Joburg Theatre

Joburg Theatre is proud to announce the exclusive visit to South Africa of the world’s most popular dance show BURN THE FLOOR – on The Mandela stage and for a limited season only from 14th July until 14th August 2011.

BURN THE FLOOR is the show that revolutionised the image of dance, which then launched the many reality dance shows, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, DANCING WITH THE STARS, SUPERSTARS OF DANCE, to name but a few, that audiences have grown to love.



With the creativity of world-famous ballroom choreographer Jason Gilkison, BURN THE FLOOR takes ballroom to a whole new level.  Gilkison’s unique choreography combines the classic ballroom styles with a modern flare. “I wanted people to see that ballroom has come of age again,” says Gilkison. “This is a new interpretation of what this generation is doing with ballroom and how they’re experiencing those dances.”
Gilkison is currently choreographing the new STEP UP 3D movie

BURN THE FLOOR performances begin in The Mandela on Thursday July 14th 2011 and the limited season must close on Sunday August 14th 2011.

Tickets are priced from R195 and are on sale now exclusively by visiting www.joburgtheatre.com and purchasing your print-at-home ticket on the internet, or by calling the theatre’s new direct ticketing line on 0861 670 670.

The National Arts Festival with the support of the French Institute of South Africa,
the Embassy of France in South Africa and the Institut Français
proudly present

FRANÇOIS SARHAN
at the National Arts Festival
in a unique double bill
Telegrams from the Nose & Lectures of Professor Glaçon
9 July 2011 at 7pm & 10 July 2011 at 3pm
at the Great Hall

Lectures of Professor Glaçon – Photo © Hannah Paton  

Last April, French composer and artist François Sarhan drew his audience into the creative world of the eccentric Professor Henry Jacques Glaçon with a series of thought-provoking and witty events, ranging from exhibitions to music and books, via musical performances with world-renowned Portuguese percussion band, Drumming Grupo de Percussão.

The French artist will be back in South Africa to perform for the first time Telegrams from the Nose, the result of his artistic collaboration with South African visual artist William Kentridge, presented at the National Arts Festival as part of a double bill including the Lectures of Professor Glaçon.

In the multimedia project mixing Sarhan’s original score with Kentridge’s video, the backdrop is a large canvas painted by Kentridge on which are screened Telegrams from the Nose, a video consisting of a stylish combination of anamorphosed human shadows, small black animated silhouettes in cut-out paper, geometrical shapes evoking Russian constructivism, letters in movement and text. In phase with Kentridge's images, the music of "Telegrams" scrolls through a series of hurried, scratched out, dislocated "Shostakovian vignettes". It is a work of memory and allusion, without any direct quotations.

Telegrams from the Nose – Photo © John Hodgkiss

 As always with Sarhan, it is the text (the spoken voice) that carries him away: here the composer pursues his quest for a modern melodrama. A lyrical narration, like a voice sample imported directly from everyday life (or an archive or old film), is used as the guiding thread, harvesting instrumental events.

N.B. For those who will miss the performances of Telegrams from the Nose & Lectures of Professor Glaçon at the National Arts Festival, there will be another chance to watch this double bill at the Market Theatre from 8 to 10 September 2011 within the framework of the Refuse the Hour season. 



ANGUS TAYLOR and RINA STUTZER

ANGUS TAYLOR and RINA STUTZER
6 – 27 July 2011
UJ Art Gallery
Free!

Angus Taylor and Rina Stutzer primarily deconstruct postmodern concerns and delve into aspects of this philosophy in the quest for elusive answers to complex questions. They furthermore do it in an aesthetically pleasing and highly professional manner. Taylor’s work focuses broadly on the human condition. He specifically addresses the simultaneous occurrence of order/disorder and continuity/discontinuity in three-dimensional language and through dialogue between method and matter, found and modelled objects by for instance combining cast stainless steel and red earth. He has developed significantly since an experimental exhibition at the UJ Art Gallery in 2006 and is presently considered one of the foremost sculptors in the country.

His marriage to fellow artist Rina Stutzer brought an interesting collaboration between the two about: her work explores changing habitats with the human as hybrid occupant through painting with patina on metal surfaces, thus ensuring a constantly changing surface. The two artists intersect successfully through the combination of sculptural and painterly mediums and methods. With lecture and walkabout.

The Imperial Ice Stars - World Premiere of The Nutcracker on Ice - at the Teatro at Montecasino in December!

ICE DANCE SENSATION RETURNS TO SOUTH AFRICA WITH CHRISTMAS FAVOURITE!

The international ice dance sensation The Imperial Ice Stars make a triumphant return to South Africa this summer with the World Premiere of their dazzling new production of The Nutcracker on Ice.

The Nutcracker on Ice will open at the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg on 8 December 2011 for a limited season (till 15 Jan only), before moving to Cape Town’s Artscape Theatre (19 Jan to 11 Feb).

This award-winning troupe has built up a worldwide following and established an unrivalled reputation for their sophisticated portrayals of classic works, and for executing the most complex and daring manoeuvres on the ice.  Their previous world tours (Sleeping Beauty on Ice, Swan Lake on Ice and Cinderella on Ice) have been greeted with nightly standing ovations and five-star reviews.
 
In the summer of 2009/2010 more than 125,000 South Africans saw The Imperial Ice Stars’ production of Cinderella on Ice. 

The Nutcracker on Ice will thrill and enchant all ages.   Tickets go on sale from 28 June and are available at all Computicket outlets, online at www.computicket.com or through the Call Centre on (011) 340 8000.

Performances: Tuesday – Friday @ 7:30pm, Saturday @ 2:30pm & 7:30pm, Sunday @ 2:30pm & 6pm. (Please note that the performance schedule changes slightly over the Christmas and New Year dates with extra holiday matinees added. Please check Computicket for a complete list of all the performances available).

Vuyani Dance Theatre, celebrating more than a decade of sustainability presents its revamped Four Seasons.

Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, one of South Africa's leading choreographers is presenting his ‘revamped’ 2010 work, Four Seasons, at the Dance Factory, Newtown Johannesburg from 5 to 8 May, 2011.

This return season of Four Seasons is in celebration of VDT’s many years of proud sustainability and has been made possible by funding from The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF). This funding has been allocated for a three year period and has enabled VDT to grow its management team. The team, together with a new Board and patrons, Judge Edwin Cameron, Advocate Pinky Mokgatla and Consular Paul Mees, is a blend that bodes well for the company in the years ahead.

The limited season opens with a red-carpet, Black-Tie/Green-Tie event celebrating VDT’s more than a decade of sustainability in regards to good governance, on Thursday 5 May 2011.  It will be hosted by VDT’s patron Judge Edwin Cameron and invited guests will comprise media, Citigreen companies, corporate companies, and government organisations.

Four Seasons, fresh from a successful run at KKNK, features the full company of eight dancers: Thabo Kobeli, Teresia Mojela and Shawn Mothupi (from the original cast), Sibusiso Ngcobo, Thulani Chauke, Phumlani Nyanga, Nosiphiwo Samente and Charlston van Rooyen. 

Four Seasons is at the Dance Factory, Newtown Johannesburg for a very limited season: four performances only, Thursday 5 May – Gala evening (by invitation only), Friday 6 and Saturday 7 May at 8pm and Sunday 8 May at 2.30pm. Booking is at Computicket.  Tickets are R90.  Students / Pensioners / block bookings (10+) - R40.

Four Seasons is funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund and is further supported by Business & Arts South Africa (BASA) and Breinstorm Brand Architects; also Nedbank Arts Affinity and The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT).

For more information about Vuyani Dance Theatre call 011 838 7666 or visit the VDT website atwww.vuyani.co.za