Celebrating women’s empowerment in dance
INDONI Dance Academy artistic director and choreographer Sbonakaliso Ndaba wants to deliver a message of hope for women in all their diversity.
Her dancers will perform the iKhaya dance production at Artscape as part of their celebratory Women’s festival from August 2 to 5.
iKhaya’s aims are celebrating women’s empowerment.
“I have crafted this show to highlight the pivotal role of women in the world of today.
To me the woman is an anchor in many ways; in life, at home, leading, giving guidance, voicing, and creating.
‘‘As a woman of colour in South Africa, I have realised there is work I needed to do by re-looking at my past and allowing these experiences to inform and reshape our future” said Ndaba.
“My focus throughout this work was to make “the woman” shine; to be respected for her central role in all our lives, and in society at large.”Ndaba, a leading contemporary African choreographer, said through her work, she expresses a vision of art marked by her own history:
“IKhaya, (home), was a place where I was born. It symbolised a place of safety where I was surrounded by a sense of love”, she said.
When Ndaba’s mother died, she was shocked into realising her home had lost its heart.
The performance iKhaya showcases how this sense of emptiness and lack of belonging, along with unconditional love, has been replaced by a world of business.
iKhaya tells the story of children growing and brought up without a sense of home.
“Relationships are arbitrary and short lived. Constantly changing and directionless,” she said.
The academy seeks to promote dancing as a way to empower the youth, while providing them with hope, dignity and life skills.
Indoni Dance aims to provide a space of excellence in dance, primarily based in the culturally rich townships of South Africa.