Bright Young Thing: Musa Hlatshwayo
You know we love to share all things bright and beautiful with you across all artistic genres including dance – celebrate one of KZN’s true movers and shakers Musa Hlatshwayo, who’s choreography has been chosen to tour 10 countries across the African Continent. Some of you will remember the recent call for entries for Dance! Africa Dance! – Musa represented SA in Paris in 2006 and his star continues to rise – see below. ‘Umthombi’ – South African Dance on continental tour Musa Hlatshwayo, South African dancer and choreographer is going on tour in 10 countries on the continent to present the dance piece Umthombi. The dance theatre duet is the narrative of a male adolescent who is in search of his traditional identity and manhood. In his quest, the young boy undergoes the rites of passage as set out by the traditions of his people. He learns accountability and responsibility, means that he applies as survival tools in the grazing fields. Aesthetically, the work explores creative movement, contemporary dance, sound and music in an attempt to explore the future of a uniquely African aesthetic in story telling. Umthombi premiered at the Jomba! Contemporary Dance Festival in 2004, the year when Hlatshwayo was awarded the KZN Young Choreographer’s Commission by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) and the Jomba! Festival to create a dance piece for the festival. Umthombi also featured in the Dance Umbrella Festival in 2007. Umthombi is not the first piece where Hlatshwayo incorporates tradition, at the FNB Dance Umbrella Festival in 2006; he presented a dance piece on Ukuqiniswa, the traditional practise of strengthening or safeguarding oneself from man-made evil forces such as witchcraft. Hlatshwayo is an internationally recognised dance professional who represented South Africa in the Danse! L’Afrique Danse! competition in Paris in 2006. (Applications for the 2008 edition of the competition which will be held in Tunisia can be downloaded from the French Institute website www.ifas.org.za/culture Deadline: 15 Nov) The tour was organized by the French cultural network. Umthombi will be hosted in the following countries Kenya, Mauritius, Madagascar, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Malawi and Mozambique from Sept to Nov this year. See schedule below: DATE City/Country Sept 2007 Nairobi, Kenya Sept 2007 Mauritius Oct 2007 Windhoek, Namibia Oct 2007 Lusaka, Zambia Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Djibouti Addis, Ethiopia Blantyre, Malawi Maputo, Mozambique Nov 2007 Antanarivo, Madagascar. Here’s Musa’s backstory from the Centre for Creative Arts in KZN – pic by Val Adamson: Born and raised in Maphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, Musa Hlatshwayo holds a BA (Hons) in Performance Studies (UKZN), a Dance & Choreography Diploma from the Copenhagen School o fModern Dance (Denmark), a Postgraduate Certificate in...
Metal Heads don’t miss the NIGHTFALL festival
Moshers, heavy metal fans and rockers, get to the NIGHTFALL FESTIVAL next week as the Pretoria Showgrounds succumbs to a metal invasion in a one day super-moshfest as BLIND GUARDIAN from Germany tear the place apart! whaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Check out Blind Guardian’s famous hit Sandman below to get you in the moshpit mood: [youtube]qDFmNgmaEe0[/youtube] For the first time ever, South Africa will be braced with the presence of true Metal Masters. Blind Guardian, Germany’s finest, is coming to South Africa as part of their world tour. 10 of SA’s finest will be performing alongside these Metal pioneers. This will all be taking place at the Tswhane Events Centre (Pretoria Showgrounds) on the 13th October 2007. So dust off your old-school leathers and studs and come and enjoy this journey into the styles of true old-school metal and rock. Some of the local bands who will be performing alongside Blind Guardian will be: Agro, Ancient Influence, Chromium, Contrast The Water, Deity’s Muse, L.A. Cobra, ManInSuit, New Born Fire and Sacrifist. The show will be hosted by Barney Simon from Tuks FM and Radio 2000 and GoTv. If the fact that a band of Blind Guardian’s calibre will be gracing us with their presence isn’t enough, there will also be plenty of bars, (with big screens for the rugby fanatics), food stalls, traders selling their goods and many more. There will be giveaways throughout the day including Woodstock 9 merchandise and tickets, Blind Guardian autographed posters and many other band items. To add to all the excitement, there is a battle of the bands hosted by Zeplins nightclub, giving one upcoming band the opportunity to start off their music career on the big Nightfall Festival stage. There is one final heat on the 3rd of October and then the finals are being held on the 6th of October at Zeplins in Pretoria. TICKETS ON SALE AT COMPUTICKET R295 NORMAL and R495 GOLDEN CIRCLE Discount tickets from Authentic Ideas and selected outlets for R270 go to www.myspace.com/nightfallfestivalsa for outlet details, Bulk tickets (10 or more) from Authentic Ideas for R250 each (Credit card and debit cards welcome. Call 011 646 6467 for more info) Golden Circle gets you up close to the stage and VIP parking in P7 and your own Golden Circle Bar with toilets, Normal tickets enter through gate...
Represent is Loving: Mark Ronson – Valerie
Rumour has it that Amy Winehouse didn’t show up for the video shoot, so they got inventive and pulled in a whole bunch of lookalikes to mime along to Mark Ronson’s remake of Valerie featuring the MC “Wale” from DC. Labelled the “Winettes”, the ladies sang along to the original Zuton song and gave the video an authentic 60’s rock n roll feel. Or the rumours could be a whole load of tabloid junk – as professed by the RodRyan show blog and Mark knew Amy (the star of the song) would be away on holiday (we think she needs one). Who knows, but we’re loving the song and the video from visionary producer – or should that be retro-visionary – and man of the moment Mark Ronson. Enjoy....
NewMusic Indaba 2007 @ UNISA 10-13 Oct
Composers, music fundi’s and junkies, get to the NewMusic Indaba 2007 at Unisa’s musicology department from the 10th – 13th October 2007 in Tshwane: NewMusicSA (South African Section of the ISCM) proudly announces its forthcoming New Music Indaba festival. The New Music Indaba has relocated from Grahamstown (in the winter) to Tshwane (in the spring) and the 8th edition of this experimental and innovative festival will take place from 10-13 October 2007 at the University of South Africa (Sunnyside Campus) and the University of Pretoria’s Musaion. The New Music Indaba will consist of four days of masterclasses and workshops for composers, with international artists in residence The Schubert Ensemble of London and South African pianist Jill Richards, and guest composer Stefans Grové. Plus concerts of new works and improvisation, installations and videos, and a mini-conference on composition. Day 1 Wednesday 10 October FORUM: SOUTH AFRICA’S INSTRUMENTAL VOICES 10h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs 30 mins Chair: Chris Walton (University of Pretoria) OPENING OF AUDIOVISUAL INSTALLATION 14h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 45 mins Aryan Kaganof & Michael Blake Reverie (2003) World Première Gerhard Marx & Clare Loveday The Collision Project (2006) COMPOSERS WORKSHOP 1 15h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs OPENING CONCERT: SONGS OF AFRICA 18h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 1 hr Max de Vries marimba Peter Klatzow Song for Stephanie Martin Scherzinger Chorale: Afrika South African Première Day 2 Thursday 11 October COMPOSERS MASTERCLASS 1 10h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs 30 mins Schubert Ensemble COMPOSERS WORKSHOP 2 15h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs Day 3 Friday 12 October COMPOSERS MASTERCLASS 2 10h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs 30 mins Schubert Ensemble PIANO RECITAL: STEFANS GROVÉ 85TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION 13h00 | Musaion, University of Pretoria | 1 hr Jill Richards piano Stefans Grové Five Glimpses Robert Fokkens New Work South African Première COMPOSERS MASTERCLASS 3 14h30 | Musaion, University of Pretoria | 2 hrs 30 mins Jill Richards and Stefans Grové SOUNDPAINTING 18h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 1 hr Ensemble directed by Marc Duby Day 4 Saturday 13 October OPEN REHEARSALS 10h00 | Sunnyside Concert Hall, Unisa | 2 hrs Schubert Ensemble and Selected Composers CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL 13h00 | Sunnyside Concert Hall, Unisa | 1 hr Schubert Ensemble Programme includes works by participants in the Composers Masterclasses World Première COMPOSERS WORKSHOP 3 15h00 | AHVAM (Seminar Room) | 2 hrs PLEASE NOTE: EVENT: OPENING OF NEWMUSIC INDABA AUDIOVISUAL INSTALLATION VENUE: ART HISTORY, VISUAL ARTS AND MUSICOLOGY DEPT, UNISA DATES: 10 OCTOBER 2007, 14h00 ENQUIRIES: CAMERON HARRIS 076 529 4601 This year’s NewMusic Indaba includes an audiovisual installation...
ABSEIL DOWN PONTE next weekend
Oh yes, developers continue to put their money where their mouths are and the iconic Ponte City Towers is being revamped and sold off as part of the ongoing urban regeneration in Jozi. You, yes you, have the chance to abseil or rap jump down the 173m2 high building. What can we say? Rather you than us…. we’re a little scared of heights but it sounds like a remarkable marketing idea. Enjoy! The Johannesburg Development Agency and Investagain property developers would like to invite you to a once in a lifetime opportunity to abseil or ‘rap jump’ down the side of the tallest residential building in the southern Hemisphere!. On Saturday October 13th, 2007, from 10h00-17h00, you will have the opportunity to be taken to the top of Ponte City and released- face first or feet first- down, down, down the side of the building. A number of ropes and several well-trained, qualified professionals will assist you on the descent- so it’s all perfectly safe and…whoooooosh, what a rush! Refreshments, music and kiddies entertainment will be on offer while your family watches breathlessly as you make your way down the 173 metre high building. There is also secure underground parking and signage so you won’t get lost. (see attached map). Even better than knowing you’ll have an unrivalled experience is the fact that this is a charity event. The R500 fee for each jump will go to the Creative Inner City Initiative, a fantastic organization that works to develop artists in the inner-city. You may have already seen some of their work – the mosaic balls in Harrow road, the Faraday taxi rank mosaic, and the graphics at Drill Hall. The CICI is also the initiators of the Hillbrow carnival and runs a number of art programmes for children in Joubert Park. The event also serves to hi-light a number of new developments happening in the inner-city. This area is being revitalized at an incredible pace- from the conversion of Ponte City into upmarket luxury apartments (see http://www.newponte.co.za/), to the Ellis Park Precinct Development which aims to regenerate the Greater Ellis Park into a secure, safe, vibrant and sustainable leading destination of choice for sports and recreation within Johannesburg. Other great new projects in the environs, includes the new Alhambra theatre, not to mention a plethora of initiatives by the City of Johannesburg including the newly approved JDA-led Hillbrow, Berea and Yeoville Public Environment Upgrade. On the day, we’ll be taking people on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. But we’ll be doing jumps throughout the day so everyone will have a chance. You’ll also get a sneak preview of the much talked...
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