The Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) within the College of Humanities presents the 2021 JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience as a virtual event with performances, workshops, and online engagements from 24 August to 5 September. Applications are now open for JOMBA! “Open Horizons”, formerly known as the “Fringe”, which now offers a long and a short form platform for the submission of screen dance/digital dance work.

‘This remains an open access platform for any and all contemporary dance makers to apply and showcase their work at the festival,’ explains Dr Lliane Loots, UKZN lecturer and Artistic Director of the Festival. ‘We invite professional, experimental, and young choreographers, dancers and dance companies to apply for participation on either (or both) with digital dance or screen dance work.’

The festival is looking for work that is located within the broad spectrum of contemporary dance, with preference being given to South African and African submissions.

The long form platform welcome works between five and eight minutes long, which will be streamed on the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience’s YouTube channel.

The short form platform welcomes works that are one to three minutes long that will be streamed on YouTube as well as its social media channels, in a lower res format, to enable wider accessibility, and can be shared across various social media platforms.

For both these platforms a panel will select three “Pick of the Open Horizons” which will see three long form dance-makers being awarded R3 500, R2 500, and R1 500, respectively, after the Festival and three short form ones receiving R2 000, R1 500 and R1 000, respectively.

All criteria and information about submissions as well as application forms can be found on this link: https://jomba.ukzn.ac.za/open-horizons/

Submissions close on Friday 9 July at 4pm (SAST).

Queries can be submitted via email to jombafestival@gmail.com.