Jazzart Dance Theatre Presents OUR WOMEN

At a time in South Africa, where women are under siege, the performers of Jazzart are using the power of dance to tell women's stories. OUR WOMEN is not only a celebration of the role that women play in society but also, now more than any other time, a cry of outrage against the total onslaught on the lives of women in our society today.

South Africans are currently engaged in various forms of dialogue. Politicians are calling for special task forces, civil society is mobilising, NGOs are expanding their footprints for a bigger reach in vulnerable communities, and families are mourning the loss of loved ones, the loss of the girls in particular.

June is Youth Month and the young performers at Jazzart are dedicating this month to join the South African conversation in saying that the abuse has to stop. OUR WOMEN takes audiences through the many journeys that a woman walks in life, as a stark reminder of how much we need strong women and how much we owe to women as a society at large. Sifiso Kweyama, the artistic director of Jazzart, comments:

As artists, we are hell-bent on arresting this trend of abuse and total disregard for the lives of our women, using the medium of dance to communicate our message. Through weaving the different stories of women's joy, tears, frustrations, hopes and fears, the pieces will resonate with young people honouring their mothers, sisters, grandmothers and the strong women in the community who touched their lives in one way or another. It resonates equally well with older people who will remember some of the challenges once faced by women, at a time when the liberation of women was a pipedream. While much has changed in a post-apartheid South Africa, the struggle remains real in many other ways. Particularly today, when women have to fight for the right to safety.

The cast of OUR WOMEN will complete their second year of training this June at Jazzart Dance Theatre, part of a three-year artistic development programme. The dancers hail from marginalised communities across the Western Cape and have all faced obstacles and challenges in their quest to get into the programme. Diverse as they may be, the company is united by their incredible talent and commitment as budding artists, allowing their unique styles to come through in what promises to be an expertly choreographed performance of contemporary, gumboot and hip hop dance.

OUR WOMEN runs at the Artscape Theatre Centre on 23 and 24 June. Bookings are through Computicket. To keep up to date with developments at Jazzart Dance Theatre, visit the company's official website.

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