Dance - South Africa's 12th official language

The festival currently runs without any funding from the city, relying instead on the generosity of patrons: The Chiappini Charitable and Cultural Trust, the Rolf-Stefan Nussbaum Foundation, and the Tsogo Sun.

However, with the recent convergence of the Zabalaza Festival, the Cape Town Fringe Festival as well as the Baxter Dance Festival, hopefully the above short-sightedness will change and the City of Cape Town will see the value in supporting initiatives that could put it on the track to be a world-class performance arts destination, in the model of the Edinburgh Festival and others. We may not be able to play football to world standards, but we are capable of setting benchmarks in acting, song and dance!

A magical spectacle

In the festival's opening number arranged by The New World Dance Theatre Company, although the spotlighted dancers in white costumes made for a magical spectacle against the depths of the Baxter stage and showed no shortage of technique and individual talent, in general the choreography may have been a bit over-ambitious in its efforts to coordinate the group.

There is certain style of contemporary dance choreography that at its best is asymmetrical, irregular and angular, perhaps because it offers the best visualisation of the traditionally used jazzy, syncopated scores. It is, therefore, difficult to break away from this formula successfully. Keeping it a bit sharper would have enhanced the overall impact of the piece and played to this group's undeniable talents.

This sharpness in making use of body and space to convey meaning was demonstrated pretty much to perfection by Louise Coetzer and the Darkroom Contemporary Company. The simple wire box props and discordant music and lighting perfectly evoking the theme of urban alienation and dancers whose every nuance contributed towards this meaning, showing three performers and a choreographer in consummate command of their art.

Mishkaah Medell and the 80-year-old Cape Town community-based EOAN Group Theatre Company delighted the audience with the warmth and intimacy of the dancers in its mother-and-daughter and friendship themes, and the exuberant physicality and dance-in-your-seat soundtracks.

Highlight of the evening

The highlight of the evening has to go to the astonishingly adept, agile and elegant kilted foursome of the For Underground Dance Theatre. Smashing away all preconceived formulas with a live operatic soundtrack by Robin Botha and classic Martha Graham manoeuvres given a compelling 'Braveheart' treatment and couple of standing bravos. Credit should go to the whole team with special credit to the powerful male dancers, Luke de Kock and Henk Opperman, for their joyous, compelling perfomance.

Overall, the standard of the male dancers in all items on the programme dominated with Sherwin Rhode and Remo Adonis from Darkroom Contemporary definitely ones to watch.

Stellar performances from all dancers especially the male leads, was also evident in Mzo Gaza's Sibonelo Dance Project piece - Ababhidisi - The Conductors, which unequivocally told the story of the loss of connection to community, culture and values - without words.

This brings me back to the title of this review - about dance being South Africa's 12th official language. It is a language understood by, and accessible to, everyone. Dance is the original poetry in motion, an infinite combination of lighting, sound, movement and stagecraft to create new meanings, to evoke and provoke the full range of emotion and opinion. SA dance is cathartic, relevant and awesome, it's also pretty sexy. But don't take my words for it, go and formulate your own opinions.

From now until 18 October, the festival will be a mash-up of dance styles - from more established professional and invited companies via the Main Programme, more up-and-coming choreographers and students in the Off-Main Programme and a Fringe Programme for youth dance groups, dance studios and schools.

The Baxter Dance Festival takes place at the Baxter Theatre, Main Rd, Rondebosch, Cape Town. Time: Monday to Friday at 8pm, Saturday, 11 August at 5pm, Saturday, 18 August at 2pm and 8pm.Cost: R30 to R100.

Booking is through Computicket on 0861 915 8000, online at www.computicket or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet.

www.baxter.co.za