Artscape Presents 1976 SPIRITS in Celebration of Heritage Day

Artscape is set to celebrate Heritage Day in grand style, with the much anticipated 1976 SPIRITS, a mass dance creative explosion to be held at the Artscape Opera House

This integrated dance production, features various internationally acclaimed dance companies, including Jazzart Dance Theatre, Cape Academy of Performing Arts, Indoni Dance, Arts and Leadership Academy and Sibonelo Dance Project. and choreographers such as Mamela Nyamza, Sifiso Kweyama, Mziyanda Mancam, Sibonakaliso Ndaba, Michelle Reid and Mzokuthula Gasa, and was conceptualised and curated by Mandla Mbothwe. It forms part of this year's Heritage Festival which is aimed at awarding a space of performances that are considerate and sensitive to the diverse nature of South Africa's narrative.

Mbothwe, who is the creative manager of the Artscape Theatre, comments:

Heritage month is the time of remembering our fragmented memory and a time for a national introspection with a purpose of becoming a better national for all. This conscious inclusive approach in our creative program is our attempt as an institution to 'Excavate - Restore - Celebrate' as this year's festival theme suggests and it is time for sharing our experiences, our spirits and a time of resuscitating our purpose as Africans.

This mass dance production, where contemporary dance meets the circus stunts and toyi-toyi meeting the traditional gospel will be showcasing theatrical accounts of 16 June 1976, with the past meeting the present, and dance and physical movements created from "the moves" of that time, which will bring that smoky and dusty time of youth courage and resilience back to life on stage.

1976 SPIRITS takes place on on night only, 24 September at 17:00. Tickets, ranging in prince from R30 - R40, are available at the Artscape box office, through Artscape Dial-a-Seat and Computicket Outlets nationwide.