2016 Baxter Dance Festival Opens 6 October in Cape Town

With 65 choreographic works on this year's line-up, the 2016 Baxter Dance Festival is poised to excite and entertain any dance lover or enthusiast, with a wide variety of genres and styles on stage at the Baxter Theatre this October.

Independent dance-makers, choreographers, dancers and teachers will descend on the Baxter for ten days to present a diverse and dynamic line-up of dance that is guaranteed to suit all tastes, with pieces representing contemporary, modern and classical dance to flamenco, tap and traditional dance forms. The Baxter Dance Festival continues its success of showcasing some of the best in local dance and also includes a host of dynamic works by choreographers from other regions and countries such as Okiep in Namaqualand (Alfred Hinkel, John Linden, Byron Klaasen), Johannesburg (Luyanda Sidiya), Canada (Josh Beamish) and Namibia (Hamish Olivier).

The twelfth festival of its kind, the the 2016 Baxter Dance Festival opens on 6 and 7 October with two performances of John Linden's PROS AND CONS OF HITCHHIKING and Alfred Hinkel's BOLERO. This fortieth anniversary revival of BOLERO is presented by the Garage Dance Ensemble, with guest performers Levern Botha and Ciara Barron, who will all join the ranks of dancers such as Dawn Langdon, John Linden, Jay Pather, Sifiso Kweyama, Heinrich Reisenhofer, Balu Searle, Ananda Fuchs and Sbonakaliso Ndana who have performed the piece over the years.

The Main Programme takes place from 6 to 15 October at 20:00 and will feature more than thirty works of various lengths by established professionals, including choreographers such as Abeedah Medell, Celeste Botha, Marlon Zoutman, Grant van Ster, Shaun Oelf, Kirvan Fortuin, Saskia Wicomb, Sbonakaliso Ndaba, Lindy Raizenberg, Nadine Buys, Phindile Kula, Sifiso Kweyama, Bruno Wani, Ebrahim Medell, Thalia Laric, Kristina Johnstone, Iesu Escalante and Mishkaah Medell.

The commissioned piece for the 2016 Baxter Dance Festival, IN C can also be seen on the Main Programme. Choreographed by Louise Coetzer, IN C will be performed by Darkroom Contemporary in collaboration with music duo Without Eyes. Previous choreographers of the commissioned work are Ebrahim Medell (2005), Marlin Zoutman (2006), collaborators Yarisha Singh and Celeste Botha (2007), Levern Botha (2008), Mamela Nyamza (2009), Carolyn Holden from La Rosa Spanish Dance Theatre (2010), Grant van Ster (2011), Ananda Fuchs (2012) and Steven van Wyk and Thalia Laric (2014). All these choreographers have continued to make their mark in the world of dance, both locally and abroad. There was no commissioned works in 2013 and 2015.

The Off Main Programme, which takes place on 8 October at 17:00, will showcase seventeen different works by up-and-coming choreographers and student choreographers such as Allison Hendricks, Bonwa Mbontsi, Ashleigh Joubert, Tegan Peacock, Ciara Baldwin, Nathan Bartman, Grace Barnes, Kitty Phelta, Kristy Brown, Landa de Jager, Leticia Fisher, Michelle Reid, Mthuthuzeli November, Mziyanda Mancam, Paul Johnson, Simone Marshall, Thami Njoko,and Zethu Mtati, while the Fringe programme on 15 October at 14:00 will include nineteen works by youth groups, dance studios, school groups and traditional dance groups.

This year marks the first time that Cape Town City Ballet and well-known choreographer Lindy Raizenberg will be on the programme. Other highlights include a work by the late Phyllis Spira, performed by Dance For All, and Mthuthuzeli November, who recently joined Ballet Black in the UK.

Despite limited funding the hugely popular festival is widely regarded as the premier dance platform of its kind and has become an annual 'not-to-be-missed' event on the local calendar. It is the perfect environment to experience and see work by established professionals, as well as exciting up-and-coming practitioners. Furthermore, it provides emerging and established dance companies and choreographers with an opportunity to present their work, whilst striving to nurture and promote the diverse dance talent in the Western Cape.

Since its inception in 2004 the festival has left an indelible mark on the performing arts landscape. Just over 800 local choreographers have presented their work, featuring well over 5 000 dancers from more than 500 studios, dance schools, projects and professional companies.

Nicolette Moses, artistic director of the Baxter Dance Festival and associate producer and planning manager at the Baxter Theatre Centre, comments:

It is very rewarding to receive the support and encouragement of the local dance communities in this city, province and beyond. This is evident in the number of participants each year. We are deeply grateful to our partners and sponsors who I wish to honour for their assistance in making this festival possible - Tsogo Sun, National Arts Council and Stellar Winery. The festival has helped to shape the lives of aspiring dancers and choreographers, which have, in turn, impacted the local dance landscape positively. I truly hope that this will encourage other sponsors in the private or government sectors to partner with us and become part of the largest dance event in our city.

Booking for the 2016 Baxter Dance Festival, which runs from 6 - 15 October, is online through Computicket, by phone on 0861 915 8000, or at any Shoprite Checkers outlet. One of the innovations this year is the newly introduced Special Package which allows audiences access to seven different performances on the Main Programme for just R250. For discounted school or group block bookings, fundraisers or charities contact Sharon Ward on 021 680 3962 or Carmen Kearns on 021 680 3993. The full programme may be viewed online at the Baxter Theatre Centre's website or Facebook page.

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