Jomba! returns with a global programme where dance becomes a language of activism

Image: Sabriya Simon

This year, the festival returns to Durban with a programme that places movement at the centre of conversations around identity, activism and social change, while showcasing artists from across Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

Taking place from 26 August to 7 September, the 28th Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience explores the theme Choreographies of Activism: Moving Bodies as Disruptive Presencing, examining how performance can respond to issues including colonial histories, environmental change, gender-based violence, migration and belonging.

Hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Centre for Creative Arts, the festival combines live performances with artist residencies, workshops, public discussions, youth programmes and digital works, creating multiple ways for audiences to engage with contemporary dance.

Celebrating South African choreography

This year's Legacy Artist honour goes to acclaimed choreographer and arts activist PJ Sabbagha, who presents Noah, the final instalment of his trilogy. Blending dance theatre, multimedia and striking visual imagery, Noah reflects on climate change, memory, loss and survival through a contemporary lens.

Two of South Africa's most influential choreographic voices also return to the festival. Mamela Nyamza presents The Herd/Less, an ensemble work exploring themes of community, conformity, vulnerability and resilience through her distinctive physical language and theatrical storytelling.

The Herd/Less.

Meanwhile, internationally celebrated choreographer Vincent Mantsoe brings Desert Poems, a new solo performance that draws on spirituality, endurance and transformation, continuing his signature approach of weaving ancestral movement traditions into contemporary dance.

International voices take centre stage

The festival welcomes artists from Spain, France, Jamaica, the Netherlands, Uganda, Ireland, Nigeria, Tanzania and Brazil, offering audiences an opportunity to experience a broad spectrum of contemporary dance styles and perspectives.

One of the headline productions is 1Luv by Jamaica's L'Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance. Rooted in African diasporic traditions and Jamaican culture, the work combines contemporary dance with the company's distinctive movement vocabulary to celebrate identity, spirituality and Black creativity.

Another standout production is Heroes, a collaboration between Dutch company Introdans, Ugandan choreographer Joseph Tebandeke and Durban's Flatfoot Dance Company. The programme features works by internationally recognised choreographers alongside South African choreographer Zinhle Nzama, culminating in Lungo, an inclusive performance that brings together dancers of different ages, backgrounds and physical abilities.

Lungo

Tanzanian-based French choreographer Matthieu Nieto presents Peponi (Swahili for "paradise")created in collaboration with Tanzanian performers and South African poet Koleka Putuma. The production explores African perspectives on hope, belonging and the possibility of imagining different futures.

Peponi (Swahili for "paradise")

At the KZNSA Gallery, Irish-based Nigerian choreographer Mufutau Yusuf performs Proses On Neither Here Nor There, an intimate site-responsive solo that uses movement, meditation and ritual to reflect on mortality, memory and renewal while transforming public space into a performance environment.

Proses On Neither Here Nor There

Spotlight on Spain

A dedicated Spanish focus continues Jomba!'s growing international collaborations.

Barcelona-based collective Iron Skulls Co. will spend time in residence developing the world premiere of Accumulation of Unaccountable Awakenings with South African choreographer Tebby W.T. Ramasike, blending hip-hop, physical theatre and Afro-Butoh movement traditions.

Accumulation of Unaccountable Awakenings

Beyond the stage

Alongside its performance programme, Jomba! continues its investment in developing dance through mentorship, education and creative exchange.

The festival includes digital dance screenings, emerging choreographer showcases, youth performances, professional masterclasses, artist talks and writing residencies aimed at supporting the next generation of performers, filmmakers and dance critics.

For more information click here or to book go to Webtickets.