The 2024 E-Stage winner, Dugulth “Junior King” Ferreira, set the tone at the opening night of the UDaba Dance Festival on Tuesday with a moving performance, providing the platform for what is to come. Ferreira sent a strong message that coincided with 16 Days of Activism against GBV (gender-based violence) through his production,Violence Based on Gender, that was backed by guest speaker Nicki-Ann Rayepen, who spoke on how the art of dance could be further supported and grow in the metro. Close to 100 people attended the opening of the dance festival at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex (MBTC) that will run until Saturday.
The productions in this year’s festival includeImbokodofrom 2023 E-Stage winner Samkelo Sintwa and Xolisile Bongwana’sNew Cage (The Dreamers). Ferreira said it was an honour for him to return to the MBTC stage as a rapper, having frequented the venue often in his youth. “I took a few days to come back for the festival; currently myself and Medusa are on a national tour for our latest album that was released last month,” he said.
“The production has a mixture of krump, contemporary and new school hip hop, where you dance in accordance to what the lyrics are telling you. “Krump is an aggressive dance style; it can be misconstrued. It looks aggressive, but it is a spiritual dance to express.
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“That is why I used it to express abuse from the perpetrator as well as the victim fighting against GBV. “In the closing scene I chose to have the victim and the perpetrator uniting, choosing peace, because we can only win against GBV if we work together.” Looking at the annual UDaba dance festival that is in its fourth year, Rayepen said she loved how the festival remained focused on the discipline of dance only as a performing arts genre. “This festival provides funding to artists and groups to create new works, and provides the platforms for them to be seen,” she said.
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