Dance, dance and more dance will be gracing the Savoy Theatre stage form Monday, 21 August, the official start of the Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival.
This year the NMB Dance Festival has a record breaking 826 individual entrants, gracing the stage 1123 times during the six-day Festival.
Dance lovers are invited to come and enjoy the exceptional young talent that this Festival brings to Nelson Mandela Bay and the opportunity to watch groups of 14 dancers on stage at a time, duos, trios and the individual solo dancer competing in the championship divisions.
This year, the 42nd edition of the NMB Dance Festival, will welcome dancers from 22 studios across the Eastern and Western Cape, with fourteen local studios participating and a record of eight out of town studios, from as far inland as Graaff Reinet and stretching west to Knysna.
The organisers are extremely excited to welcome back participants who have been gracing the Festival’s stage for many years, even when juggling professional working careers. Marelize Opperman, 34, a professional physio therapist in Nelson Mandela Bay, and Chanique Wepener, a local teacher, will be dancing with their studio teacher, Leanka Laubscher, of Leanka Laubscher School of Dance, in three trio performances at the Festival.
“Dancing is my absolute passion, and sharing this passion with my fellow competitors is amazing, said Marelize.
“When you get older you don’t always get the chance to perform on stage, so I love the NMB Dance Festival, I cannot keep myself away from performing!” she added.
The youngest local participant, Isla Geldenhuys, from Susan Zerbst School of Dance, who turned five in February, is looking forward to her fist stage performance at the Festival.
“It is wonderful to see dancers of all ages loving the chance to dance onstage and we wish all the participating studios a wonderful, magical week of dance,” said Tanya van den Bergh, NMB Dance Festival Programme Co-ordinator.
The NMB Dance Festival encourages the participation of all dance studios in the Eastern Cape and is dedicated to providing a stage experience for all dancers and the opportunity to invest in and promote local talent. This year dancers will be assessed by internationally acclaimed, dance choreographer, Desiree Green-Demianenko, owner of One Step Ahead Dance Studio based in Edenvale, Johannesburg.
This prestigious Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival, formerly known as the PE Dance Festival, was founded in 1981 by Jennifer Abraham and Hermione Ballinger and has grown in leaps and bounds over the last 4 decades. In keeping with the festival’s tradition, every dancer will receive a medal for participating, and will be competing for the sought-after annual trophies and awards to celebrate the 2023 Festival.
The Festival will culminate in a gala celebration, showcasing the performance highlights of the Festival and the Awards Presentation on Saturday, 26 August from 19h00 – 22h00.
Tickets for the Festival can be purchased at the door of the Savoy Theatre for R50 per person per day. Gala tickets for Saturday, 26 August will be on sale from July 17, for R120 per person, on www.webtickets.co.za.
The annual Port Elizabeth Dance Festival is a must for all dance lovers! For more information contact NMB Dance Festival secretary, Carol-Anne Cash, pedancefestival@gmail.com , or 084 502 3300.