Unmute ArtsAbility Festival to Hit Cape Town Stages from 30 November

Unmute Dance Company in association with British Council Cape Town, Youngblood Arts and Culture Development and Artscape Theatre Centre presents the Unmute ArtsAbility Festival. This is South Africa's first Integrated Arts Platform that presents a display of collaborative artistic works by artists with mixed-abilities, with and without disabilities using music, dance, visual arts and mixed genres.

ArtsAbility Festival is a week-long event of activities that will occur during the International Week for People with Disability, presenting live performances, live exhibitions, visual installations, site-specific shows and outdoor performances that will be happening in and around Cape Town City Centre and Townships.

The festival is the culmination of artistic workshop creations that are facilitated by Unmute Dance Company's artists who are currently pioneering integrated arts in South Africa.

Unmute's ArtsAbility Festival seeks not to isolate people with disabilities from the society but a movement that interrogates, integrates and celebrates people's different abilities through art. Choreographers, directors, filmmakers, photographers, visual artists and musicians are challenged to collaborate and create inclusive works of art for a group of artists (with mixed-abilities), works that challenges people's state of mental-misconception on disability. Artworks that will encourage people to break barriers and make an awareness of diverse abilities rather than disability.

It is easy to notice disability than ability, therefore this festival will give audiences a chance to realise more what people living with disabilities can do than what they can't and more what can be achieved together as an integrated society. Through integrated workshops we will be working with professional artists, people with disabilities, non-artists, academics and pupils to create integrated performances and installations for audiences to have an insight about inclusion.

The programme, which runs from 30 November - 5 December 2015, includes the following programmes.

Programme 1, at Theatre Arts Admin Collective on 30 November - 1 December: public art performance installations directed by Themba Mbuli from 18:30 - 19:15; ISALAD, directed by Mandisi Sindo and performed by Unmute Dance Company, Lingua Franca, Muziek Sensation and Art of Hearts from 19:30 - 20:15; THESE HANDS by Andile Vellem and LIMITATIONS by Nadine Mckenzie and Yaseen Manuel, both performed by ArtAbility Trainees, from 20:30 - 21:00.

Programme 2, at Rent Office Black Box Theatre in Delft on 1 December: a sign language and lance technique workshop from 10:00 - 13:00; Public Art Performance Installations with Light of Light, Rainbow Arts Organization and Unmute Dance Company and Trainees from 14:00 - 14:45; a production by the Rainbow Arts Academy from 15:00 - 15:30; and UNMUTE by by Andile Vellem, performed by Unmute Dance Company from 15h40 - 16h30.

Programme 4, at the Artscape Theatre Opera House on 3 December: installations in the Opera House Foyer from 11:00 - 11:45; and performances in the Opera House from 12:00 - 14:00, featuring works by Lingua Franca, Muziek Sensation, Art of Hearts, Unmute Dance Company, Light of Life, Project Play Ground and many more.

Programme 5, at Young Blood Gallery on Bree Street during First Thursdays, 3rd December: Inside-Out Installations performance by Lingua Franca, Muziek Sensation, Unmute Dance Company) from 18:00 until late.

Programme 6, at Theatre Arts Admin Collective on 4 - 5 December: Female directors and choreographers programme showcase, with works by Chuma Sopotela, Asanda Rilityana and Louise Coetzer, from 18:00 - 21:00

For further information and bookings, email unmuteproject@gmail.com.

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