Registration open for UCT Dance Conference this week

Designed to stimulate dance academics, students, choreographers and other dance fans, the conference incorporates the presentation of formal academic papers, research seminars and panel discussions as well as daily workshops and thought-provoking performances.

Discussions will centre on "the complex issues of the interconnectedness (or lack thereof) of the practices and experiences surrounding dance, religion and spirituality," says Confluences 7 chair and director of the UCT School of Dance, Gerard Samuel.

Some of the intriguing titles of papers to be presented include Dr Doreen Gordon's "From 'other worldly' to 'world dance': an exploration of the institutionalisation of dançá dos orixá as an artistic field in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil", "Post-positivist Spirituality in Dance and Somatic Research: a narrative" by Dr Jill Green (North Carolina, USA) and "Dancing the Body through the City: preliminary concepts and notes on mobility, ritual, freedom and spectacle in the Minstrel Carnival, Cape Town" by Jade Gibson (South Africa).

Acclaimed choreographer and performer Vincent Mantsoe is the keynote speaker. He is now based in Saint Pont, France with his company, Association Noa-Cie Vincent Mantsoe.

Range of performances

Confluences begins at 9am daily at the UCT School of Dance, culminating in a range of performances each evening. See Jacki Job and Garth Erasmus's Truth or Fiction and extracts from choreographic works from the UCT dance students under the banner Why Fit In? on Thursday, 11 July at 7pm. Vincent Mantsoe offers a rare performance of Gula on Friday, 12 July at 7pm. "This is arguably one of the signature choreographic works that has jettisoned this beguiling artist into the international arena," says Samuel.

The evening also showcases Jamaican-born Lisa Wilson's Ancestral Whisperings, which premiered at the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience in Durban in 2012.

There will be a mixed bill featuring the award-winning Underground Dance Theatre and freelance artist Nicola Elliott, fresh from their tour to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, on Saturday, 13 July at 6pm.

The panel discussion entitled "What Place for Dance in Monotheistic Worship?" takes place on Friday, 12 July at 9am.

Go to www.uct.dance.ac.za for more information and online bookings. Would-be delegates can also sign up at the registration desk from 8.30am each morning. A limited number of tickets for performances will be sold one hour before show time at R40. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Those wanting to attend the full conference pay an all-inclusive fee of R700 (i.e. entrance to all papers, workshops and performances, daily conference kit/programme, complimentary tea and coffee). The cost is R200 for students. All those attending as a single day visitor (papers and workshops only) pay R70. There are no card facilities.