The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts presents the 27th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience – a 13-day explosion of world-class contemporary dance, bringing together dancers and dance-makers from South Africa, Spain, France, Réunion, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Germany, and Luxembourg from 26 August and 7 September, 2025, in Durban.
The theme of this year’s festival is “moving border/lands” as JOMBA! sets out to engage, through curated dance encounters, and with artists and dance makers who battle with, and navigate the current unfolding socio- and geo-politics of border/lands.
JOMBA! curator and artist director, Dr Lliane Loots says, “We have curated a series of artistic encounters that we feel question ideas of border crossings, and have invited dance works that ask us to re-look at borders (real and imagined) as metaphoric and poetic spaces which we are either seeking to cross, or to renegotiate. We want to honour dance makers who bring beauty, humour, pathos, and politics to our stages and hearts”.
Veteran South African dance-maker Sbonakaliso (aka Sbo) Ndaba is honoured as the 2025 JOMBA! Legacy Artist, for her innovative choreographic work that spans over three decades of dance making in South Africa and internationally. Sbo and her SboNdaba Dance present In Search of Our Humanity, a masterful new work that takes the audience on an emotional journey through South Africa’s evolution. From the ancient, free-roaming Khoi and San ancestors, to the struggle for unity, it showcases the nation’s growth and defiance.
In a unique partnership with the Embassy of Spain (South Africa), JOMBA! is delighted to offer a special Spanish Focus and showcases two unique contemporary Spanish dance works that celebrate a beautiful cultural connection between Spain and (South) Africa.
Continental street dance styles
Spanish and Ivory Coast dance-maker Oulouy presents his award-wining much-anticipated solo Black – a reflection on the violence and emancipation of Blackness in today’s world. Black is narrated through street dance styles of the African continent and its diaspora in the Spain, such as Coupé-Décalé, Ndomboló, Afrohouse and Krump.
A longer 2025 partnership between JOMBA! and Valencia-based Taiat Dance Company has resulted in a collaboration with Durban dancer Zinhle Nzama, and dancer Lara Misó. Choreographers Meritxell Barberá and Inma García have created a work around the shared experience of two cities (Durban and Valencia) surviving floods. Titled FLOOD, this solo/duet dance work, born of the coincidence of these shared climate tragedies.
PHAKAMISA Dance Commission
The joint annual PHAKAMISA Dance Commission by the CCA JOMBA! and the Market Theatre aimed at supporting innovative and provocative South African dance makers this year is partnering with the National Arts Festival and the Standard Bank Young Artist programme, to award the commission to Soweto born Asanda Ruda.
Asanda presents a double-bill that speaks to her on-going artistic exploration of Afro-contemporary dance, and a deeply African sense of spiritual self-healing. Her programme includes her acclaimed solo KEMET (Black Lands), which earned her a residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and embodies her pursuit of individuality and spiritual enlightenment through the transformative power of dance.
JOMBA!’s ongoing partnership with the Market Theatre features Greg Homann and Sunnyboy Mandla Motau’s collaboration Father & I, a warm and nuanced portrayal of South African fatherhood.
Réunion’s COMPANY SOUL CITY and dancer/choreographer Didier Boutian, whose roots are in hip-hop offers his new solo KANYAR epilogue which offers a deep critical dive into a contemporary world of fanaticism and self-glorification.
FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY
Rhineland-Palatinate, Chinese German choreographer Hannah Ma returns to collaborate with Durban’s award-winning FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY in a glorious revision of an earlier work AMA – Once I was, then I wasn’t. AMA is a powerful new ensemble creation through the presence of six dancers from FLATFOOT who are placed at the centre of the narrative. Rooted in ritual and myth, AMA interrogates the archetype of the Mother: as life-giver, as protector, and as boundary.
Two immersive works are on offer at the KZNSA Gallery: Desiré Davids, whose work QUI EST-CE? #1 Fragments is accompanied live by Benoit Bottex’s remarkable sound creation. Her participation is made possible through the support by the French Institute Paris (IF EXPORT).
Then France’s Company DANS6T presents an interactive work – OF DANCES AND STRUGGLES in which dancer and choreographer Bouziane Bouteldja, explores the history of dances used in social and political struggles around the world and comes to JOMBA! thanks to a partnership with the Alliance Français.
The inaugural JOMBA! Female Forward Residency, to support the development of young women in dance in KZN takes place this year. Led by Thobile Maphanga and Gaby Saranouffi, the residency focuses on technical training, professional development, and building a strong work ethic. The five resident dancers are: Luhle Ngobese, Noxolo Mbotho, Lee Kunene, Zama Khuboni, and Alwande Khuzwayo.
DIGITAL JOMBA! 2025
The DIGITAL JOMBA! 2025 programme features two screen dance makers, WONDARLAND by Artist in Residence Matthieu Nieto and Ugandan Jospeh Tebandeke’s, Amazina Mbuyaga.
JOMBA! continues its annual screen dance competition platform JOMBA! DIGITAL OPEN HORIZONS, while JOMBA! LIVE OPEN HORIZONS provides an opportunity for choreographers to present their work in a professional environment, and the JOMBA! YOUTH OPEN HORIZONS, in partnership with The Stable Theatre, features 9 works from youth groups.
The festival includes JOMBA! Talks Dance with choreographers and dancers after some of the live performances at the Sneddon Theatre, the annual Forging Futures dialogue and a series of free workshops and masterclasses.
The fourth JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre, a smaller curated extension of the Durban festival takes place from 10 – 13 September 2025 featuring SboNdaba Dance, Asanda Ruda, FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY and Didier Boutiana, and a series of workshops.
The JOMBA! KHULUMA and the JOMBA! BLOG Writing Residency facilitated by DUT Drama lecturer Clare Craighead, will feature reviewing and writing by graduate students studying dance.
In a nutshell
27th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience
At The Centre for Creative Arts and University of KwaZulu-Natal
26 August – 7 September 2025
See the full programme here
Tickets are R85 and R65 (concessions and groups) or R390 – once off full festival pass to see everything. Booking for this at Webtickets
Pictures from top: AMA by Hannah Ma with Siseko Duba of FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY. Picture: Val Adamson; Oulouy. Picture: Dajana-Lothert; FATHER & I Picture Lauge Sorensen, and In search of our Humanity – Lusindiso Dibela and Sonwabile Mhlonyane. Picture Marko de Beer.
