FREE Workshops at JOMBA!

FREE Workshops at JOMBA!

Booking is essential for all these workshops via e-mail 2024jomba@gmail.com.

Eight workshops are available FREE of charge to dancers and dance-makers, and associated arts practitioners at this year’s JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience which takes place from 26 August and 7 September 2025 in Durban.

Five dance-focussed workshops will be hosted at the Drama and Performance Studies Department (Dance Studio), UKZN Howard College Campus, and are open to dancers 16 years and older.

27 August (Wednesday):  4 – 5.30pm

Sbonakaliso Ndaba (Cape Town, South Africa) offers participants a full body class experience in the technical dance training methods of Sbo Ndaba. It is a high impact class that pushes dancers to think with their bodies!

28 August (Thursday): 4 – 5.30pm

Barbara Diaz Rios (Valencia, Spain), a dance teacher and choreographic assistant for Taiat Dansa, offers a glorious and fluid technique class and share some of the repertoire of FLOOD – a work featured in the festival.

30 August (Saturday): 10 – 11.30am

Oulouy (Ivory Coast/Spain) offers an opportunity to step into a high-energy journey across some of the most vibrant street dance styles from the African continent and its diaspora. This workshop is a deep dive into the expressive power of movement as language, identity, and connection.

3 September (Wednesday): 4 – 5.30pm

Artistic Director of the internationally renowned South African dance company, Moving into Dance, Sunnyboy Motau (JHB, South Africa) will lead a workshop in MID’s signature dance genre: Afrofusion

6 September (Saturday): 10 – 11.30am

Didier Boutiana (Reunion) provides a workshops that draws on disparate influences as hip-hop, yoga and contemporary dance.

JOMBA! also offers the following bespoke workshops:

2 September (Tuesday): 11 – 12.30pm (Music Department, UKZN)

A very special digital music workshop from Benoit Bottex (and Desiré Davids). The workshop will provide an understanding of how sound synthesis works and will explore the benefits of modular synthesizers in live performance. Several instruments will be presented, and a demo will be performed collectively.

3 September (Wednesday): 2 – 4pm:

Dramaturgy: Theme and Storytelling Workshop – Led by Greg Homann (SA)

Drama Prac Room (UKZN Drama Programme – Howard College Campus)

Artistic Director of The Market Theatre Foundation, Greg Homann, conducts a workshop on theme, structure, and storytelling. This session invites participants to engage with dramaturgical tools and strategies that unlock meaning, sharpen intention, and strengthen the emotional and thematic clarity of their work. Ideal for performers, directors, and choreographers alike, the workshop offers practical insights into shaping compelling thematic and narrative experiences for an audience.

5 September (Friday):  2 – 4pm

Centre for Creative Arts, Boardroom, UKZN (Howard College Campus)

Getting the most from your Festival Appearance: Optimizing your own publicity at a dance festival led by Sharlene Versfeld (Durban, South Africa), a veteran publicist across numerous genres and multiple festivals. Sharlene offers dance-makers an opportunity to understand why they need to pay heed to developing their own publicity materials, how they can maximize their exposure, and work with festivals to help grow their own audiences. An interactive and career changing workshop!

Getting the most from your Festival Appearance with SHARLENE VERSFELD

Friday 5 September | 14h00

CENTRE FOR CREATIVE ARTS BOARDROOM

Optimizing your own publicity at a dance festival LED BY SHARLENE VERSFELD (Durban, South Africa) for a workshop on theme, structure, and storytelling. This session invites A veteran publicist across numerous genres and multiple festivals, Sharlene participants to engage with dramaturgical tools and strategies that unlock offers dance-makers an opportunity to understand why they need to pay meaning, sharpen intention, and strengthen the emotional and thematic heed to developing their own publicity materials, how they can maximize clarity of their work. Ideal for performers, directors, and choreographers their exposure, and work with festivals to help grow their own audiences. alike, the workshop offers practical insights into shaping compelling An interactive and career changing workshop!

DIDIER BOUTIANA (Réunion)

Friday 5 September | 11h30

UKZN DANCE STUDIO

Didier offers a special closed workshop for the senior dance students of UKZN’s Performance Studies Programme (HCC).

Theme and Storytelling LED BY GREG HOMANN

UKZN DRAMA PRAC ROOM (Drama Programme - HCC)

Join the Artistic Director of The Market Theatre Foundation, Greg Homann, for workshop on theme, structure and storytelling. This session invites participants to engage with dramaturgical tools and strategies that unlock meaning, sharpen intention and strengthen the emotional and thematic clarity of their work. Ideal for performers, directors and choreographers alike, the workshop offers practical insights into shaping compelling thematic and narrative experiences for an audience.

BENOIT BOTTEX (AND DESIRÉ DAVIDS)

Thursday 2 September | 11h00

UKZN MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The workshop will provide an understanding of how sound synthesis works and will explore the benefits of modular synthesizers in live performance. Several instruments will be presented, and a demo will be performed

DIDIER BOUTIANA (Réunion)

Saturday 6 September | 10h00

UKZN Howard College Campus - Drama and Performance Studies Drama Studio

Enjoy a workshop that draws on such disparate influences as hip-hop, yoga and contemporary dance as you find your own groove and self- expression in this workshop.

SUNNYBOY MOTAU (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Wednesday 3 September | 16h00

UKZN Howard College Campus - Drama and Performance Studies Drama Studio

Experience the dynamic energy of Afrofusion with Sunnyboy Motau, Artistic Director of the internationally renowned South African dance company, Moving into Dance. A multi-award-winning choreographer and sought-after facilitator, Motau will lead a workshop