For decades dancers of various styles have eagerly descended on the Bay for the annual Port Elizabeth Dance Festival, and this year the event celebrates its 42nd edition with a new partner and a new name – the Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival.
The prestigious Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival, formerly known as the PE Dance Festival, has been officially recognised and supported this year by the Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture of the Nelson Mandela Municipality, a huge accolade for this legacy event. Dance lovers can look forward to watching over 1 000 dances from 23 dance studios performing at the 42nd edition of the Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival from Monday, August 21 to Saturday, August 26, at the Savoy Theatre.
Disciplines include ballet, contemporary/modern, tap, hip-hop, Spanish, Indian, Irish, African, fusion/free movement/ballroom dancing, cheerleading and adaptive dance (freestyle).
NMB Dance Festival chairperson, Nici Lovemore, expressed her gratitude for the city’s support and her vision for the future of dance.
“I extend gratitude and appreciation for the alignment and grant awarded to us by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. Since taking the chair of the PE Dance Festival five years ago, a key focus for me and our outstanding committee has been for our festival to grow, stay relevant and continuously evolve. I believe that tradition must not be the worship of ashes but rather the preservation of fire.
The NMB Dance Festival encourages the participation of all dance studios in the Eastern Cape. It is dedicated to providing a stage experience for all dancers and the opportunity to invest in and promote local talent. This year dancers will be assessed by internationally acclaimed dance choreographer Desiree Green-Demianenko, owner of One Step Ahead Dance Studio based in Edenvale, Johannesburg.
Green-Demianenko, who has been dancing since age 2, started her studio 24 years ago, offering training in modern, jazz, contemporary, tap and hip hop. She is an International Licensed Judge for the International Dance Organisation (IDO) in Showdance and Tap. On several occasions, she also represented South Africa as an official judge at the IDO World Tap Championships and IDO Showdance World Championships.
Green-Demianenko is a Federated International Gymnastic (FIG) Level 4 Judge and a World Lyrical Dance Federation Senior Adjudicator, one of only two worldwide. She has trained and developed young dancers who have gone on to become World Champions and Vice World Champions in Showdance, Jazz, Tap and Modern.
“I have been training children from the very early learning stages all the way through to professional dancers, and I love instilling the passion of dance in these dancers. I believe that the journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step!” reflected Green-Demianenko.
This Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival, formerly known as the PE Dance Festival, was founded in 1981 by Jennifer Abraham and Hermione Ballinger and has grown in leaps and bounds over the last four decades.
In keeping with the festival’s tradition, every dancer will receive a medal for participating, and will compete for the sought-after annual trophies and awards to celebrate the 2023 festival.
The festival will culminate in a gala celebration, showcasing the performance highlights of the festival and the awards presentation on Saturday, August 26 from 19:00 to 22:00.
Tickets for the festival can be purchased at the door of the Savoy Theatre for R50 per person, per day. Gala tickets for Saturday, August 26 will be on sale from July 17, for R120 per person, on www.webtickets.co.za.
For more info, contact PEDF secretary, Carol-Anne Cash, pedancefestival@gmail.com, or 084 502 3300.
