JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience
JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience is South Africa’s longest-running and most celebrated contemporary dance festival. Hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, the festival is based in Durban and attracts top choreographers, dancers, scholars, and audiences from across Africa and the world. Renowned for its bold programming and global partnerships, JOMBA! is a leading platform for African contemporary dance, promoting connection, collaboration, and transformation through the power of movement.
25 August to 6 September 2026
JOMBA! Masihambisane Dialogues 2026
27 - 29 May 2026
THE 6TH JOMBA! MASIHAMBISANE DIALOGUES (JMD26) – hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) and the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience invites scholarly, practice-based, and artist-led contributions that examine dance not as metaphor, but as an embodied mode to space, visibility, and justice under conditions shaped by (amongst other forces) colonial and postcolonial power.
Digital JOMBA!
JOMBA! @ The Market Theatre
8 - 12 September 2026
TO CELEBRATE our fourth year of partnership, JOMBA! is delighted to continue to work with the Market Theatre to collaborate in sharing a smaller and carefully curated ‘JOMBA! @ THE MARKET’ following the Durban festival. Four selected local and international dance companies will travel to Johannesburg’s Market Theatre to feature in a week-long celebration of some of the world’s most profound and provoking dance makers and dance companies. Gauteng and The Market Theatre audiences will have an opportunity to revel in the performance excellence of this curated contemporary dance platform.
JOMBA! FEMME FORWARD Screen Dance Residency 2026
24 - 29 August 2026
JOMBA! is excited to continue the JOMBA! Femme Forward Residency, an initiative focused on supporting young female-identifying dance artists interested in developing their screen dance practice. Having screened nearly 50 dance films over the past five years, JOMBA! remains committed to investing in the craft of dance filmmaking. Following the successful 2023 residency led by Mozambican artists Pak Ndjamena and Ivan Barros, this year’s six-day residency will be facilitated in partnership with Darkroom Contemporary Dance Theatre (Cape Town, South Africa).
Festival Offerings
Beyond Performances
JOMBA! goes beyond the stage to offer a rich programme of free workshops, residencies, and critical dialogues. These activities create space for learning, collaboration, and deeper engagement with contemporary dance.
Led by local and international artists, the workshops provide access to training and skill development for dancers at all levels. Residency opportunities support the creation of new work and foster cross-cultural exchange.
The online JOMBA! Masihambisane Dialogues offer a platform for Southern-based dance scholarship, encouraging conversations around identity, politics, and performance. These offerings reflect JOMBA!’s commitment to inclusivity, education, and the growth of dance as a socially relevant art form.
The Curators
JOMBA! is curated by Dr Lliane Loots, founding Artistic Director, whose vision and leadership over 26 years have shaped the festival into a globally respected platform for contemporary dance. Her work centers artistic excellence, social justice, and human dignity. She is supported by Thobile Maphanga, Assistant Curator and Project Manager, whose dedication to Southern cultural narratives and community engagement keeps the festival connected and relevant.
Dr Lliane Loots
Thobile Maphanga
2022 JOMBA! Khuluma Digital
South African choreographer and arts activist, PJ Sabbagha named the 2026 JOMBA! LEGACY ARTIST
JOMBA! MASIHAMBISANE DIALOGUES #6 Choreographies of Activism: Moving Bodies as Disruptive Presencing
JOMBA! FEMME FORWARD Screen Dance Residency 2026
Applications Now Open for the 2026 JOMBA! OPEN HORIZONS Platforms (Live and Digital)
Lifetime Achievement Award for Durban Publicist, Sharlene Versfeld.
