In 2014, Vuyani Dance Theatre is celebrating its 15th birthday with a lavish new large-scale dance production, a brand new corporate identity and a new name – Vuyani Dance Company (VDC).
The multi-awarded contemporary African dance company, founded by decorated dancer and choreographer Gregory Vuyani Maqoma in 1999, is using the occasion of its milestone anniversary to rebrand and introduce a more professional and structured approach to its revenue generation model and business in general.
Now a formally registered Pty (Ltd) company, the new corporate form will enable VDC to venture into previously uncharted waters. This includes entering into partnerships with the corporate sector, tapping into new markets and undertaking more corporate work, as well as national and international touring and industrial theatre – the bread-and-butter lifeline of many a performing arts operation. In addition, increased attention will be paid to potential income streams such as merchandising.
Explains Maqoma, the Standard Bank Young Artist for Dance in 2002: “While we are very grateful to our major funders such as the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, we realised that relying only on this limited resource, with its ever-increasing list of beneficiaries, was not a sustainable business model for a performing arts enterprise such as ours.
“We used the opportunity of our 15th year of existence to do some soul-searching during a strategy weekend. Ultimately, we resolved that in order for our company to survive and thrive in this competitive industry, we needed to diversify our funding stream. This meant operating our labour of love as a business and treating the skilled people at our disposal as valuable and marketable assets – while still, naturally, adhering to the highest standards of artistic integrity.”
Maqoma is adamant that VDC’s new direction does not mean that his company of dancers, under the artistic direction of Luyanda Sidiya, will be skimping on their community work. Instead, the income generated will benefit and sustain the company’s outreach and development programmes.
“We will continue running our outreach arm, whereby each of our dancers spends time once a week mentoring and transferring skills in their communities, culminating in the annual Vuyani Week at the end of each year. We will also continue to source talent nationally for training and employment.
“Our vision as a company is to be the best in the country through developing new talent – and that remains our passion project, which we will be able to maintain and expand now that we don’t have to struggle to find the resources that help us to do good work.”
Part of the rebranding exercise includes an elegant new logo for VDC, with lettering that appears to “dance”, designed by Cyrus Kets of Moonshine Advertising.
The first production by the rebranded Vuyani Dance Company will be the epic Full Moon, which can be seen on the Joburg Theatre’s Mandela stage from 30 April to 11 May 2014.
This breathtaking cosmic dance odyssey will feature a massive cast of 25 dancers on stage, clad in exquisite designer Black Coffee costumes and accompanied by a full orchestra: the South African National Youth Orchestra.
The youth orchestra is celebrating a milestone of its own this year – it turns 50 – and its gifted young musicians will be tasked with performing a new original score composed by Isaac Molelekoa.
Since it is being staged in the period between the 20th anniversary of democracy celebrations and the fifth democratic national elections, Full Moon fittingly provides the opportunity for reflection, invoking mythology and ancestral memory, hope and loss, dark and light. It is choreographed and directed by Maqoma, assisted by Sidiya.
Maqoma enthuses that the production is a “must-see” and “one of the highlights on the arts calendar”.
Says VDC chairperson Thandiwe Msibi: “We at VDC are really excited about the potential of our revamped company, and are looking forward to creating sustainable performance opportunities for our dancers, as well as technicians and support staff, in the future. We anticipate many more years of dynamic, memorable works of movement art that resonate with audiences – that remains, and always will be, our calling.”
Book for Full Moon through www.joburgtheatre.com, or call 0861 670 670. For more information, visit www.vuyani.co.za or check out Vuyani Dance Theatre (http://www.facebook.com/VuyaniDanceTheatre) on Facebook or @VuyaniTheatre (https://twitter.com/VuyaniTheatre) on Twitter.
Gala evening
• VDC is hosting a special gala fundraising evening on Tuesday, 29 April 2014. The event is presented in partnership with the De Beers Shining Light brand, and guests can enjoy an exclusive world-first viewing of Full Moon in between being entertained in one of the Joburg Theatre’s plush hospitality suites. Packages range from R500 to R1395, and enquiries may be directed to minette@crucibleprojects.co.za or call 083 565 5331.
Creative Conversation Series
• As part of the build-up to the Full Moon season, audiences and friends of Vuyani Dance Company will be given an opportunity to engage in the Creative Conversation Series facilitated by The Ar(t)chive.
Event: Creative Conversation Series
Featured artist/company: Gregory Maqoma
Date: Friday, 25 April 2014
Time: 14:00-15:30
Venue: The Dance Factory (Newtown)
Entrance: Free
Theme: Anatomy of a (South) African Dance Company
In 2014 we don’t only celebrate of 20 years of democracy in South Africa, but also the 15th birthday of Gregory Maqoma’s Vuyani Dance Theatre (now rebranded as Vuyani Dance Company). As part of its birthday celebration, VDC will premiere Maqoma’s Full Moon in April at the Joburg Theatre.
The Ar(t)chive will engage Maqoma in a creative conversation regarding the history, evolution and current challenges of this internationally renowned dance company in the context of 20 years of democracy. This pioneering dancer, choreographer and director will also outline the complexities of a production of such magnitude with an emphasis on collaboration, which is one of the signatures of VDC.
The Ar(t)chive is the first comprehensive contemporary dance archive of its kind in South Africa and on the continent. This project is managed by filmmaker and Wits Masters graduate Jessica Denyschen in tandem with theatre journalist and dance writer Adrienne Sichel as resident researcher and consultant. The Ar(t)chive endeavours to bring together various strands of this living heritage together in a physical and virtual memory bank.
Details: jessica.denyschen@wits.ac.za or info@vuyani.co.za
