In the wake of the COVID-19 global upheaval and its impact on live performance, the much-loved JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts within the College of Humanities, held its Fringe applications process as it announced its move online for its 2020 edition in August.
‘It is clear that we will not be able to deliver JOMBA! in the same manner as previous years,’ said JOMBA’s Artistic Director Dr Lliane Loots. ‘COVID-19 has shifted the arts world very significantly and we remain one of the hardest hit sectors both now and even post COVID-19. But as an artistic entity, which offers a time and space for artists to engage in serious and important new art and dance-making for audiences, we believe we must continue with our work and so have begun planning in an environment of fragile uncertainty for a re-visioned digital JOMBA! 2020.’
Loots added that, ‘The idea is to imagine JOMBA! to be a benchmark of what a dance festival could possibly be or become at this zeitgeist in our history. As we began to curate what will be a fascinating programme, we reached out for digital submissions for the JOMBA! Fringe 2020.’
Professional, experimental and up-and-coming choreographers, dancers and dance companies were invited to apply for participation on the JOMBA! Digital Fringe platform.
As JOMBA! is a contemporary dance festival, works that are located within the broad spectrum of contemporary dance were considered, and preference was given to South African and African submissions. Works that are specifically conceived and created for film and for a digital platform, and that develop interesting dynamics between dance and screen/digital/film disciplines were also considered.
A panel of experts (local and international) adjudicated the works presented as part of the JOMBA! Digital Fringe, and the “Pick-of-the-Fringe” works will be publically announced.
