Battery Dance began its 2011 Africa Tour by first stopping in Lagos, Nigeria and Maseru, Lesotho. In order to visit all four of the African countries part of the tour, the group was split into two smaller teams of three. Robin Cantrell, Sean Scantlebury, and Barry Steele formed one team and traveled to Nigeria and Guinea. Carmen Nicole, Bafana Matea and Mira Cook comprised the other subgroup and worked in Lesotho and Zambia. Robin, Sean, and Barry stayed and worked around Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa is bifurcated along sectarian lines; Muslims mainly inhabit the northern part of the countries while Christians reside in the south. Unfortunately, these divisions often lead to political instability and civil strife, making Lagos, the former capital and chief city relatively unsafe.

Despite these challenges the group successfully interacted with the locals and admired their dancing abilities. Robin and Sean were faced with the challenges of miscommunications and a lack of adequate rehearsal space, as the Society for the Performing Arts of Nigeria (SPAN), was the only dance studio in Lagos. Robin found her group to be particularly talented and expressive and enjoyed conducting the Dancing to Connect workshops with a group of 13 dancers between the ages of 21 and 32. After Barry rendered the National Arts Theater’s sound system usable, the students conducted a Dancing to Connect performance while Sean and Robin performed 3 duets at the venue. Additionally, a local traditional African group displayed their own piece.

The team benefited greatly from their relationship with Sarah Boulos of SPAN and Segun Lawal. Sarah came to New York in January 2012, to attend several conferences and meet the rest of the company. Her experience with Battery Dance and the DtC workshops encouraged her to pursue further bilateral engagements with Battery Dance. Four DtC participants from Nigeria were also able to travel to New York to take part in the August 2012 Battery Dance Company’s Downtown Dance Festival.

After their mission in Nigeria was complete Sean Scantlebury, Robin Cantrell, and Barry Steele headed northwest to Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Guinea is an impoverished country and has suffered from a turbulent postcolonial history. Robin and Sean each taught full six-day DtC workshops, with a total of 40 disadvantaged youth participating and found the students energized and eager to work with their American teachers. A local artist, Mamady, served as a translator between the participants and the teaching artists, his assistance was indispensable to the positive outcome of the mission. The Franco-Guinean Cultural Centre, a relatively modern and well furnished facility was the venue for both rehearsals and the actual performance. The DtC performance which capstones every set of DtC workshops was attended by locals and embassy staff, Robin and Sean also performed three duets. Robin and Barry also had the opportunity to conduct national television and radio interviews.

While one part of the company toured western Africa, Carmen Nicole, Bafana Matea and Mira Cook headed to the nations of Lesotho and Zambia in the southern part of the continent. The Kingdom of Lesotho is a small enclave within the country of South Africa; Maseru its capital was the location for Battery Dance’s Dancing to Connect workshops. In the late 1990s Maseru was the scene of political unrest and rioting. Due to very limited facilities for the dance workshops that were envisioned, the Company, in collaboration with the Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy, was forced to vamp. The Embassy identified a very willing and appropriate partner in Kick4Life, an NGO dedicated to youth empowerment through sports. K4L offered up its young charges as participants in the Dancing to Connect workshops. They also made an indoor recreation space available. Needing more spaces to accommodate the over-lapping workshops, a plan was concocted to create an outdoor dance space by placing wooden platforms on the soccer field, shielded by tenting. Unfortunately, the surface was more uneven than anticipated; and worse, the weather dealt a severe blow to the tents (intended to shield the participants from the noon-day blazing sun, but unequal to the task of standing up to blustery winds and sheets of rain.)

Forty-eight students participated in the two, four-day Dancing to Connect workshops, with teaching artists Mira and Bafana at the helm of each session with Carmen as the trouble-shooter and support person. Kick4Life interns and volunteers jumped into the process as well. While many of the DtC participants were affiliated with Kick4Life, others came from a local shelter for orphans and homeless children. The young people’s issues and concerns surrounding HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, and drug abuse found their way into the dance workshops. (UNICEF estimates that nearly ¼ of Lesotho population from the ages of 15 to 49 is living with HIV. 43% of Lesotho’s population lives off less than $1.25 a day.) Despite these circumstances Battery Dance found the DtC students to be resilient, optimistic and enthusiastic.

The final performance consisted of traditional Lesotho dancers, three musicians, a ballroom dance group, two DtC pieces, and two trios and three solos performed by Battery Dance artists. Ambassador Michele Bond as well as other diplomats were in attendance for the final performance along with families and Peace Corps volunteers. The Lesotho trip was a great example of BDC’s creatively partnering with another nonprofit to achieve its core mission of providing access to the arts for those who otherwise lack the opportunity. Moreover, Battery Dance learned to adapt to the given conditions and have a positive impact on the lives of the students.

Postlude: Battery Dance Company team met up with Daniela Gusman of Kick4Life in New York at the beginning of 2013 and future collaborations are envisioned

Despite just having three teaching artists to cover a nation the size of Texas, Battery Dance was able to pull off a two-city trip to Zambia. The journey to Zambia was part of the second leg of the 2011 African tour which also included trips to Nigeria, Lesotho, and Guinea. The group in Zambia was the trio of Carmen Smith, Mira Cook, and Bafana Mataea. Carmen flew to the town of Livingstone, on the Zimbabwe boarder to conduct her own Dancing to Connect program. Meanwhile Bafana and Mira stayed in Lusaka, the capital to conduct two DtC workshops. The DtC workshops in Lusaka each had 20 participants, ranging in age from 13-22. Some of the youth were either homeless or faced troubling domestic situations. Despite these conditions the students displayed enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn.

The Lusaka Playhouse was the venue for both the DtC workshops and final performance; it proved to be extremely well-suited for the company’s needs. Africa Directions, a local nonprofit that seeks to empower Zambia’s youth and raise AIDS awareness partnered with the U.S. Embassy to provide participants for the DtC workshops in Lusaka.

Carmen was confronted with several challenges in Livingstone, including time constraints and the unkept condition of Capitol Theater’s interior. However, with the help of Daisy Nalishuwa of the Livingstone Performing Arts Foundation (LiPAF) and Chando Mapoma of the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Carmen was able to coordinate and conduct a DtC workshop with 10 students, ages 19-30. In the end Capitol Theatre’s gorgeous exterior and majestic location on Victoria Falls proved to be a sufficient venue. Over one hundred and fifty people filled the theater in Livingstone to watch the DtC dance and Carmen perform two solos.

For the final performance in Lusaka, Carmen rejoined Bafana and Mira. The Lusaka Playhouse was packed with over 500 guests including U.S. Ambassador Mark Storella and local Zambian government officials. The students performed two DtC works; and the 3 BDC dancers presented 1 trio, 1 duet, and 3 solos. Barefoot, a local nonprofit dance group participated in the final performance as well. Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the Zambia trip was the cultural interaction and discussions that occurred between the Battery Dance teaching artists and the DtC participants. While at first reluctant to engage in deep conversation, the students slowly began to open up and asked questions regarding contemporary American politics and culture. HIV/AIDS was also a salient subject in the dialogue. Despite recent progress in Zambia against HIV/AIDs, UNICEF says 13.5% of the adult population ages 15-49 is infected with the virus. The trust and friendships built through the Dancing to Connect Workshops and performances, not just with the participants but with the audience as well, is the underlining mission of Battery Dance.

During BDC's 2011 Malaysian tour, Hollander left Kuala Lumpur for 24 hours to visit the workshop that was taking place at Penang, with BDC’s Sean Scantlebury and ASWARA’s Lorna Hoong at the helm.

Again, the students were doing outstanding work, discovering their inner dancer while building their teamwork skills and self-esteem. It was extraordinary to see these young dancers leave the studio at Whiteaways Arcade (a part of Penang’s World Heritage Site), presumably to take a break, and then to step outside into the hallway and see them coaching each other and rehearsing their moves over and over again.

Hollander assisted in guiding arrangements for the final performance with Joe Sidek, Director of the George Town Festival, and Aida Redza, a Malaysian dancer and dance teacher, educated at the Rotterdam Dans Academy, who had spent months publicizing the workshops, gathering interested students from many different walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds, and negotiating space for the rehearsals. Joe managed to secure the historic Penang Town Hall for the performance and brought in lighting, sound and stage crews to support the show which, from all reports was well-attended and equally well-received.

Local Malaysian partners in Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuang and Kuala Lumpur offered their support in the tasks involved in organizing five separate cohorts of 20 students each to take part in DtC workshops and final performances. A list of partners is appended to this report. An emphasis was placed on reaching out to under-served communities including refugees, students at government schools, street children, orphans and so forth. Venues were located for each workshop – with the requisites of wooden floors, good ventilation, sound equipment and spacious dimensions. As the planning phase unfolded (between February and September), more and more people and groups gravitated to the program, expanding its outreach and scope many fold.

A 5th workshop took place in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on Borneo. This one was led by Robin Cantrell with the able assistance of ASWARA’s Faillul (‘Boy’) Adam. Hotel accommodations, workshop space, performance venue, and participants had all been arranged by dance teacher and choreographer Suhaimi Magi, whom Hollander, Cantrell and Scantlebury had met in January when he was still teaching on the faculty at ASWARA. He joined the faculty at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in July and negotiated the dance department’s full support of Dancing to Connect. This was a radical departure from the foundation of traditional Malay dance training that characterizes UMS’ approach to dance training. Robin found the students hungry for the kind of approach she purveyed, though the final performance lacked coordination and was poorly attended, due, in part, to Suhaimi’s absence (he left the day before the performance for a conference in Korea.)

The second phase of Battery Dance Company’s two-part program in Malaysia was built exponentially on the plans, relationships and intellectual property-sharing put in place during the first phase that had taken place eight months earlier.

In January, 2011, Jonathan Hollander and two Battery Dance Company teaching artists, Sean Scantlebury and Robin Cantrell, had established close rapport with two partner organizations in Kuala Lumpur, Sutra Dance Theatre and ASWARA, that were to become central to the projects culmination in September.

At ASWARA, Malaysia’s National Arts Conservatory, the American team had exposed students and faculty to the methodologies of Dancing to Connect (DtC) through a dual-layered approach:

Sean, Robin & Jonathan worked with 40+ ASWARA students in two groups, providing them with the guidance needed to create their own choreography following the Dancing to Connect model

The Battery Dance Company team selected a group of the most motivated ASWARA students and invited them to shadow the Dancing to Connect workshop program with 20 youngsters from the refugee community of KL, under the auspices of the UNHCR. Having implanted an understanding of DtC and created trust and mutual respect with its Malaysian partners, BDC was able to move on to the next step. With the guidance and cooperation ASWARA’s Dean of Dance, Joseph Gonzales, five senior dance majors and recent graduates were selected to serve as teacher trainees with the five teaching artists of Battery Dance Company.

Local Malaysian partners in Kuala Lumpur offered their support in the tasks involved in organizing five separate cohorts of 20 students each to take part in DtC workshops and final performances. A list of partners is appended to this report. An emphasis was placed on reaching out to under-served communities including refugees, students at government schools, street children, orphans and so forth. Venues were located for each workshop – with the requisites of wooden floors, good ventilation, sound equipment and spacious dimensions. As the planning phase unfolded (between February and September), more and more people and groups gravitated to the program, expanding its outreach and scope many fold.

Upon arriving in KL, the 7-member BDC team held meetings with the ASWARA trainees in preparation for the teamwork that would take place a week later. Subsequent attention was turned to the realization of the other pivotal 4 performances in collaboration with Malaysia’s leading dance company, Sutra Dance Theatre.

This series of performances, which attracted audiences of approximately 2,000 as well as major television, radio and print media coverage, involved performances of repertory pieces by each company. Taking full advantage of the opportunity to collaborate artistically, two works were created and presented in which dancers from each company worked with the choreographer of the other.

Into the Centre was a new work that Jonathan Hollander choreographed for the Sutra dancers which was set in January, rehearsed again in August when the dancers were in New York for Battery Dance Company’s Downtown Dance Festival, and then given a final polish in September when Hollander arrived in KL. Sutra Dance Theatre’s artistic director Ramli Ibrahim set his version of the classic L’Apres Midi d’un Faune (r.) on BDC’s Sean Scantlebury and 5 dancers from his own company. Both works earned sustained applause from the Malaysian audiences though response from the press was mixed.

The series of performances was interspersed with other activities – such as Hollander’s keynote address on the topic of ‘Hybridity in Dance’ which was delivered before the Asia Pacific International Dance Conference that took place in KL simultaneously with BDC’s visit. Barry Steele gave two lighting workshops that were extremely well-received by the local community of designers and technicians. The three-week MyDance Festival was also taking place during BDC’s visit, providing Robin Cantrell a platform for presenting her video-dance work, and additional press coverage. India’s leading dance critic, Dr. Sunil Kothari, called Into the Centre “the highlight of the MyDance Festival”. Once these events were completed, the Company’s concentration turned to its Dancing to Connect youth outreach activities. With supervision and design by Hollander, the 5 dancer/teaching artists of Battery Dance Company paired up with their ASWARA trainees and led 5-day intensive workshops for 100 Malaysian students from extremely diverse backgrounds. In KL, groups comprising 8 students from the Mont’ Kiara International School (which donated its theater and gymnasium for the training sessions, and its stage for the final performance) were combined with 52 students from Harvest Centre, KrashPad and Ti Ratana Welfare Society – teens whose refugee, orphan or otherwise disadvantaged status contrasted strongly with their peers from the international school.

Another group set up camp at Rimbun Dahan, a remote artists’ retreat donated by the family of Bilqis Hijjas, Director of the MyDance Festival. These students came from a nearby Malay Government school with extremely Spartan facilities and program offerings. Working in the tranquil and beautifully appointed dance studio at Rimbun Dahan with the nurturing support of BDC dancer Bafana Matea and ASWARA’s Murni Omar was an experience that I doubt any of the students will ever forget. This group traveled into KL on the day of the performance to share the stage with the other two groups at MKIS. The results were magical.

Working collaboratively with American and local partners, Battery Dance Company used the art of dance as a medium for healing and youth empowerment in Iraq. Employing Battery Dance Company’s signature arts education methodology, Dancing to Connect (DtC), a pair of American teaching artists engaged with 28 Iraqi students, ages 17 – 22, and two local teacher trainees over a period of one week. They worked in a group that crossed gender, religious, social and geographic boundaries. Together and under the guidance of BDC’s teaching artists, the students created choreography that spoke to the issues of inclusion/exclusion, the struggles of living in a war-torn country, and their hopes for a better future. As the process went forward, the initial differences between the students melted away.

Roman Baca, a choreographer and a Marine veteran who had served in Fallujah, approached Battery Dance Company to host him as a Fellow of The Mission Continues. TMC is a non-profit organization founded by Eric Greitens, a former Navy Seal, that provides support for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans, funding their service in community organizations in the U.S. to regain their strength and purpose.

Beginning in January, 2012, Baca was trained by Battery Dance Company in leading Dancing to Connect workshops for youth and young adults and eventually worked side-by-side with BDC teaching artists in New York City public schools. Given his earlier experience in Iraq and his concern for the Iraqi people, Jonathan Hollander, Artistic Director of Battery Dance Company, posed the question, “Would you like to return to Iraq?” Baca’s affirmative answer prompted Hollander to approach the NEA/PPD Office in Washington and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to propose a Dancing to Connect program. Knowing that Baca would need the support of at least one of BDC’s experienced teaching artists, Hollander asked the Battery Dance Company members for volunteers to go to Iraq. Each and every member expressed an interest in going. Robin Cantrell was selected – in part because of the fact that Hollander wanted to have a man and a woman lead the program, anticipating that there would be mixed genders among the workshops participants. The Embassy in Baghdad forwarded BDC’s proposal to the Consulate in Kirkuk, where Susan Harville, the Public Affairs Officer, responded enthusiastically. Sue and Jonathan began putting the plans in place. Sue was already working with a group of young people in her English language program and felt that the DtC workshops would be a great experience, a reward of sorts, for them. However, because security conditions in Kirkuk wouldn’t lend themselves to an easy flow for students coming into the Consular Compound, or for the American teaching artists to go out into the City each day, she proposed to move the venue to Erbil. This required the active cooperation of her counterpart at the Consulate in Erbil, Matthew Ference. He agreed on the condition that students from Erbil could also participate.

In the end, a group of 19 students from Kirkuk drove up to Erbil with a teacher from the Institute of Fine Arts and Helen Patou from the Consulate. They stayed in a hotel for the duration of the program. Ten students from Erbil and one teacher formed the complement of the group.

Over the course of the week, the students worked with Baca and Cantrell, learning the craft of choreography as a vehicle for expressing their emotions and creative visions. None of the participants had taken formal dance classes in the past. Many were students at the Institutes of Performing Arts where they were studying acting or directing. As such, everyone began the process on a similar, very fundamental level. They knew very little about the medium of dance and even less about the art of choreography. Baca and Cantrell coaxed the students into devising movement by giving them a variety of tasks that built from individual creative movement phrases into group choreography. The differences between the students from the two cities were noticeable at the beginning of the workshop. They ate lunch on different sides of the courtyard and expressed passionate opinions and observations about one another in discussions. As the workshop developed, and the teaching artists initiated the mixing of demographics, the differences disappeared. On the last day of the workshop the students from both cities and religions were intermingled, professing friendship, and singing traditional songs together.

Performance for the general public at Kamani Auditorium, October 15:

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations coordinated with Battery Dance Company in hosting a performance for the general public at New Delhi’s Kamani Auditorium. BDC had performed on the same stage in ‘94, ‘97 and ‘01. The event was compromised by a miscommunication with ICCR, which sent out over 4,000 invitations and announced the curtain time as 6:30 pm. BDC had earlier established 7 pm with its sponsors – who had been promised blocs of tickets as a sponsorship benefit. Some of the guests of Taj Hotel, Citibank and Boeing were unable to find seats as a result of the hall’s being packed, every seat filled and hundreds of standees, by the time they arrived. The media coverage gracefully avoided mention of the chaos in the auditorium, focusing instead on the company’s dancing and the repertoire which received high praise.

Battery Dance Company (BDC) embarked on its second visit to Tanzania on September 6th 2012, with programs organized in conjunction with the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam. Funding for the program was provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Embassy. The 10-day tour was characterized by a two-pronged approach with a high visibility marquee performance coupled with outreach programs targeting undeserved youth.

The day after arriving in Dar es Salaam, the Company had a rest day which they used to visit local marketplace KariaKoo and to explore other areas of Dar Es Salaam. The Company found the Tanzanian people to be very open and welcoming and had the opportunity to interact with a group of Maasai, although communication was difficult.

The following day began with a press conference followed by site visits at the workshop venues and theater. During a visit to NGO Baba Watoto Center, the students acrobatically welcomed BDC with a short performance, while at the Tanzania House of Talent, the Company was treated to a short musical number by two gifted singers.

The workshops at Baba Watoto were in such high demand that a fifth workshop group was added to the four originally planned. Quite incredibly, Suleiman (Tanzanian Cultural Affairs Assistant) was able to secure a 5th workshop venue at the Russian Cultural Center (in Tanzania) in time for the first day of workshops. U.S. Ambassador Alfonso Lenhardt kindly made time for a courtesy call, prior to the beginning of the first workshop day, and briefed the Company on the Embassy‘s efforts to promote youth education and employment as well as his shared NY heritage. During the visit to Tanzania, Deputy Director of Battery Dance also led evaluation workshops with 8 THT employees and with two volunteers from Baba Watoto. Meanwhile, Production Director Barry Steele held two workshops with 30 participants from THT and Cloud FM, providing training in the principles of lighting and design. Bibbies on Choice FM, Tanzania’s most popular morning show, also aired a 6-minute interview with Salem about Battery Dance Companies work in the country.

Unfortunately, protests targeting U.S. Embassies erupted on September 11 across the Muslim world, seemingly in reaction to an anti-Islamic film produced in the United States. Despite fears of the violence and anger spreading to Dar es Salaam, Battery Dance Company’s members continued to feel welcomed by the warm and friendly Tanzanian people. Not once did any member of the company experience any ill-will or negativity.

After stage rehearsals and prior to the final performance at The National Museum and House of Culture, participants from Baba Watoto and the International School of Tanganyika danced, laughed and taught each other new choreographic moves on the lawn at the theater, exemplifying one of the main goals of the program: uniting youth from different backgrounds and communities. Suleiman also provided her own personal video camera, allowing the performance to be recorded. While T-shirts and track suits were provided to Baba Watoto and THT students, many of whom had worn the same clothing for each day of the workshops. Lunch was provided for all students on the day of performance.

With opening remarks from U.S. Embassy PAO Dana Banks and the deputy director of BDC, the final show began to a full capacity audience of approximately 475 who responded with rapturous applause and gasps of amazement. The awe of audience members at seeing the acrobatic movements that Baba Watoto participants integrated into their choreography was palpable. Many audience members were being exposed to the local domestic talent for the first time, making the socially mixed final performance all the more meaningful. It was also notable to see members of different social classes mingling, sharing and laughing together at the intermission. The final performance ended with a standing ovation from the entire theater --- the perfect finale to a very emotional program.

Overall, the performance and workshops met with outstanding response. Choreography that the students created during the program was reprized when First Lady Michelle Obama visited Tanzania on July 1, 2013.

Ekhaya MultiArts Centre

Located in KwaMashu, one of Durban’s oldest townships, Ekhaya MultiArts Center serves as a beacon for the arts. Ekhaya was launched with the purpose of empowering disadvantaged youth through the arts and multimedia. Chosen by the US Consulate in Durban as the local partner and host institution, Ekhaya enabled Battery Dance to interact with young people whose thirst for opportunities was palpable.

Dancing to Connect Workshops

The Dancing to Connect program was spearheaded by a BDC teaching artist who led a group of 12 youth for 5 hours a day for 4 days. Two other BDC teaching artists jointly led an extended creativity workshop with 18 students for 2 hours a day for 4 days. Despite complications in scheduling and communication, the choreography created by both groups of students was stunning.

Siwela Sonke Dance Company and Playhouse Theatre

BDC’s South African-born teaching artist Bafana Matea led a 3-day series of master classes at Siwela Sonke Dance Company with 12 dancers; and another series of classes at the Playhouse Theatre with local freelancers and the resident dance company. Concurrently with the dance workshops, BDC production designer was occupied with rebuilding the Ekhaya stage with the assistance of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate. Throughout the entire technical setup, the production designer was shadowed by the head technician at Ekaya receiving hands-on training on stage repair, lighting and sound design/setup, and the staging of a professional-level dance performance. BDC Deputy Director for International Programs met with Embassy staff and representatives of local NGO’s for a lunch meeting where shared passions, techniques and strategies for community engagement and ideas for future collaboration were exchanged.

Final Performance

A group of student drummers from Ekhaya were positioned at the front of the Center, outside, where they provided a steady percussion beat. Neighborhood children, some wearing no shoes, gathered around. Slowly, other members of the KwaMashu community also arrived at the Center, attracted by the sound of the drums and enticed to stay to see the free performance attended by the Consul General. The audience, obviously unaccustomed to a formal dance performance, was “enthusiastic”! After the performance, the U.S. Consulate provided a buffet dinner to all the participants and performance attendees. This post-performance reception was marked by an open intermingling of Embassy staff, local partners, township residents, media professionals, and the BDC team. Nearly 100 copies of the Durban poster were autographed by the BDC team prior to the performance and were handed out to eager fans after the show. Prior to performance, the Deputy Director of BDC's International Programs, a BDC dancer, and the Consul General conducted an interview on Vibe FM. Other media attention included a features in The Mercury, Sunday Tribune, local community newspaper also included Battery for Heritage Month and Celebrate Durban, Gagasi radio station (isi Zulu and English).

Four of the Battery Dance Company artists were programmed in the Johannesburg area, two conducting Dancing to Connect workshops with teens and young adults and one teaching master classes at the National School of the Arts and the University of Pretoria. Each experience had its own character – strong and full of new discoveries. Artistic Director Jonathan Hollander split his time between Jo’burg and Pretoria, supporting the DtC programs as well as reaching out to media, peer and academic contacts and speaking on arts management. Each of the three Dancing to Connect groups created a new piece of choreography that was performed at the Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria on the final evening of the Gauteng program.

Moving in to Dance Mophatong

Newtown, an area adjacent to central Johannesburg, has fallen into disrepute and is slated for redevelopment. Arts organizations such as Market Theatre and Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM) are situated there, providing a cultural anchor for the renovation plan. MIDM was started in 1978, during the Apartheid era by Sylvia “Magogo” Glasser, a woman of Jewish background. Daring for its time, MIDM always served a multi-racial population. Over time, its conservatory-type training program has produced some of South Africa’s most acclaimed choreographers and dancers. A BDC teaching artist worked with a group of 24 first-year students and soon discovered that the group was not only keen to learn but quite advanced in their technical and creative prowess. She was able to move along in the DtC curriculum at a rapid pace, doling out much more material each day than is usual.

Sibikwa Arts Centre

Benoni South is the home of Sibikwa Arts Center where a BDC teaching artist worked with 20 youth, ages 16 – 22. The students were hyper-energized and unaccustomed to a rigorous, immersive program like DtC – however, they pulled it together and delivered beautifully in the end. One young dancer stood out as a prodigy. We hope that the exposure to DtC helped provide him with new ideas about a career path.

National Arts School

Battery Dance taught a sequence of master classes and creative workshops for students at the National School of the Arts. The student population at the school was noteworthy for being inclusive of all ethnicities, whereas the other programs we worked with in SA were almost exclusively Black. The students were also of mixed backgrounds in terms of prior training – some had advanced ballet technique, speaking to years of prior training. Others were less schooled in classical technique but possessed obvious natural talent and were progressing swiftly, especially in the modern and creative arenas.

University of Pretoria

Jonathan Hollander gave a lecture on arts management for the performing arts management course in the Drama Faculty of the University of Pretoria. Approximately 20 students attended and took part in a Q/A session following the lecture. This activity at the University led to an invitation for BDC to run a dance workshop for theater majors the next day. Battery dance teaching artists led a 2-hour workshop with a group of highly motivated performing arts majors who normally take a dance class once-a-week with Anitra Davel (back row, red tank top), a freelance choreographer, dancer and dance teacher, who gamely took the class with her students. Anitra and Jonathan engaged in a discussion about conditions for professional dancers in South Africa following the class.