Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre

"Siwela Sonke" in isiZulu means "crossing over to a new place altogether". (Acronym: SSDT) A professional dance theatre company.

It emerged from a training and development programme for Black dancers with no access to training opportunities, initiated by The Playhouse Company in Durban in 1994. Jay Pather and Alfred Hinkel of Jazzart Dance Theatre devised the original curriculum, and the first programme with 18 students was an overwhelming success. In 1996 Jay Pather was appointed Artistic Director.

It remained under the wing of the Playhouse Company from 1996 to 1998, becoming a leading dance company in South Africa, producing and touring work nationally and internationally.

In 1999, the Playhouse Company retrenched SSDT, and the Company re-formed itself as a Section 21 non-profit Company, with Jay Pather as Company and Artistic Director.

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