School of Dance goes on tour along the Garden Route

Full form: "Our Revelation", choreographed by Maxwell Xolani Rani, is one of the works featured in Dance Dreams and Moyo Men which will go on tour from 26 to 31 March.

UCT's School of Dance takes to the road with Dance Dreams and Moyo Men, a mixed bill of dance to be performed in Knysna, George and Mossel Bay from 26 to 31 March.

The production features classical ballet, Afro contemporary, Spanish and Indian dance to showcase the variety of styles on offer at the school.

The School of Dance has been hard at work to widen the debates around dance and performance, and to encourage dialogue between various communities. As well as its three major disciplines, African dance, contemporary dance and classical ballet, the school recently expanded its academic programme to include Indian dance, contact improvisation and open classes in ballet for adults and senior citizens, as well as a module of working in dance for children with disabilities.

Director of UCT's School of Dance, Gerard Samuel, explains that this outreach project will expose new audiences to the school's multicultural and inclusive practices.

"This will hopefully lead to a broadening of the knowledge of the wealth of South Africa's heritage and culture," he says. "Moyo, which means heart and soul in Swahili, reflects the spirit of the project. Diversity, tolerance and respect for cultural differences are issues that are close to my heart and reflect the soul of the school.

"The tour not only achieves many artistic objectives but also supports recruitment initiatives and, most importantly, UCT's desired teaching outcomes, as it offers one of the best learning and teaching environments that cannot be equalled in a classroom."

As well as the diverse dance performances, the tour will also include several workshops that will be conducted for underprivileged communities. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the Rotary Clubs' fundraising efforts, which include social upliftment, in 2010.

"Various Rotary Clubs have not only assisted us in the planning and logistics of a tour of this scale, but have opened their hearts and homes to our young dancers. We are truly grateful," said tour manager and senior lecturer, Sharon Friedman. The young dancers are Lauren McGeorge, Megan Black and Mduduzi Nyembe.