UNITY PERFORMING ARTS A SPACE FOR CREATIVES, RUN BY CREATIVES.

WORDS: CARLA LOUISE GAILEY :: PHOTOS: SUPPLIED

In 2017, Unity Performing Arts started out as a group of young artists who had a desire to create out of a love for the Arts.

“In KZN, there was limited work for us, but that didn’t stop us. There is always a way and a reason to create”, founder Jemma van Breda shares with us. “We began to film the pieces that we had worked on collectively with a student film crew and a first-year director from AFDA.

(This director grew up to be Lindokuhle Langa who has just finished directing his first DSTV and Samsung commercials). We posted everything we filmed online and had incredible responses from the public who were missing the presence of the Arts post-COVID”, she continues. They saw their numbers growing and before they knew it, they had new artists joining the creative family that they had unknowingly formed. They established themselves as a registered company and partnered with Gateway Theatre of Shopping to unite creatives and provide a home for artists in KZN – a place of passion and purpose that will take Durban to the next level.

“As a theatre of shopping, we love to bring our events and attractions to life through creative content sharing. Unity brings a unique perspective on visual art – it’s…Umhlanga-style, Gateway-style, Unity-style and an all-round visual treat!” says Gateway Theatre of Shopping Marketing Manager, Michelle Shelley. “Gateway is providing an interim venue for Unity which acts as a central hub for their artists, a creative space for a smorgasbord of opportunities to get involved”, Michelle continues.

“People often ask us “What is Unity?” and we just laugh – asking ourselves well, “What isn’t Unity?”. There’s no way to describe it because it’s ever-changing. It’s anything and everything to do with the Arts. It’s a place and a platform to create, to rehearse, to meet, to film, to critically discuss, to choreograph and to learn – a place to call home” Jem describes.

Essentially, Unity is a platform and its offerings change weekly to keep the creative industry innovative and educated – as they are constantly introducing new workshops and experts. A few of their highlight workshops and events at Unity include; WACO Professional Development Programme (Ballet and Contemporary), Business Arts and Creative Funding workshops, Pause ‘n Paint Art classes, Radio masterclasses with Makhosi Khoza, The Unity Battle Fest (Krump and All styles), The Durban Unity Creatives Round Table, Content Creation workshops with Siphe and Sipha & the local talent video programme. “We have new faces coming in to share their knowledge at Unity Performance Arts every week. At our core, our most important value is, of course, unity. With this in mind, we invite a multitude of creative experts in to educate the young professionals in KZN regardless of their background or studio. This means that we host a variety of freelancers. However, we still have our core family who is at Unity every week pushing themselves and other artists.

Some of the core members you will find include Jemma van Breda, the founder of Unity. Jemma is an exceptionally talented contemporary dancer, brand strategist and rhythmic gymnast. Jemma runs her own contemporary and gymnastic workshops. She is the heart beyond Unity and the reason that any of this is possible. Next up, is Unity’s resident Art and Paint instructor, Sonaly Hurdayal. Sonaly is incredibly passionate about what she does and why. She hosts a variety of painting evenings that is open to the public. “You’ll never see her without a smile on her face and paint on her brush”, Jemma explains. Casey Swales, or otherwise known as “a master”, is arguably one of the most talented dancers in South Africa. He is an expert in his field, choreographing and teaching ballet and contemporary at Unity. “We are forever honoured to create with him and know that the artists of KZN are grateful to him for sharing his passion and knowledge with us”, says Jemma.

Priyen Naidoo is a force to be reckoned with and one of the biggest energies at Unity. He embodies the core of Unity as he welcomes everyone into their space with open arms and a massive smile. Priyen is Unity’s incredibly talented resident Bollywood choreographer and contributes greatly to the overall vision and future endeavours of Unity. Mawanda Maphumulo is your guy for “literally everything”. “He is the man, the myth, the legend” Jemma gushes. Mawanda is the creative that Unity turns to – from strategy to photography and social media to videography.