Kucheza Afrika Festival
Kucheza Afrika Festival is an annual dance festival hosted by South African State Theatre, established in 2020. Formerly known as Dance Umbrella Africa (2019)/Dance Umbrella (1989-2018).
Kucheza ('to dance') is a homonymous Swahili verb.
For more information pre-2020, see Dance Umbrella.
History
The new name of the festival married the aspirations of the South Africa State Theatre to serve the continent’s and the world’s dance communities as well as a call to action for Africa to converge as one in its diversity of theatre art forms - to dance!
2020
The Kucheza Afrika Festival was scheduled to take place from April 2 to April 12. It had to be reimagined, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown regulations with all protocols in place and to be observed.
2021
A new partnership saw the Kucheza Afrika Festival in three cities, including The Baxter in April, for limited performances from 6 to 7 April 2021. The Baxter Theatre hosted two productions on 6 and 7 April 2021 - Trapped by Unmute Dance Company at 6pm and Louise Coetzer's Memoryhouse at 7.30pm.
2022
The 2022 edition of the festival marked a return to a 100% live performance. The festival ran at the South African State Theatre from 1 - 10 April. It also marked 30 years anniversary of dance maestro Vincent Mantsoe’s illustrious dance career by staging two of his works: a premiere of Koma in a double bill with his longtime industry friend David April, who saluteed him with a reimagination of Mantsoe’s acclaimed Barenaon. 2021 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner Kristi-Leigh Gresse was commissioned by the festival to recreate her piece, Encryption. Other performances included Gregory Maqoma’s Ketima, Luyanda Sidiya’s trilogy Umnikelo, Sive and Amawethu, Bailey Snyman’s Gaslands, Thami Tshabalala's Isinyuso and an international act Helge Letonje exhibiting Digging in the Night.
Sources
https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/443/225469.html
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