June is Youth Month, and the young performers at Jazzart are dedicating this month to the fight against the abuse of women and children.
With their production, Our Women, they take the audience through the many journeys 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.
“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,” said Sifiso Kweyama, artistic director at Jazzart.
The production is on stage at the Artscape theatre for two days only, tomorrow, Friday June 23, and Saturday June 24 at 7.30pm, with a matinee performance on Saturday, at 3pm.
“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. They resonate 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 post-apartheid South Africa, the struggle remains real in many other ways, particularly today, when women have to fight for the right to safety,” said Mr Kweyama.
The cast is in their second year of training at Jazzart Dance Theatre, as part of a three-year artistic development programme.
They hail from marginalised communities across the Western Cape and have all faced obstacles and challenges in their quest to get into the programme. Tickets cost R60 and R50 for students and pensioners.
Block bookings of 10 or more cost R45. Book through Computicket.
