Audiences at FIngo Festival anjoyed a free performance by Madagascar's 'King of Salegy' Jaojoby today.
Audiences at FIngo Festival anjoyed a free performance by Madagascar's 'King of Salegy' Jaojoby today.
Festival-goers who attended his performance at the Transnet Great Hall on Tuesday night described his music as infectiously joyful.
From 9am tomorrow and Friday, Fingo Festival is the place for Festival families to be.
Renowned South African storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe, performed there this morning – and Fingo Festival will be her home for the next two days.
Fingo Director, Xolile Madinda, has urged families to come and enjoy the fun.
Fingo Festival is an organisation devoted to transforming communities through the arts and runs from 8–11 July.
Their focus is on children, creativity, performance and dialogues on social issues.
"This year we have a special guest, Gcina Mhlophe, for two days to read stories to the children in the morning, we have Thandazile joining to make the kids laugh, Captain Kemp for team building and illustrators to help them get creative," said Madinda.
"We would like parents to bring their children and come and have fun with us, four days of fun," he continued.
Fingo Dialogues at Fingo Festival:
8 July 2015
2pm daily will be live performances at the mobile stage one Dr Jacob Zuma Drive:
Featured acts:
– Gcina Mhlophe
– Fringe productions
– Local artists
– Prisoners
The Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (Redisa) has sponsored a marquee to cover the Fingo Square in case of bad weather.
For more details, check out www.fingofestival.co.za or find the Fingo Festival page on Facebook.
You could also call 0825915612 or email info@fingofestival.co.za.
Puppet magic
Do not miss the extraordinary (free) performance by Spanish puppeteer Carles Canellas today and tomorrow at the Botanical Gardens ourdoor amphitheatre behind Ornee Cottage.
With a minimalist set and script, the brilliant Soloist is an intense, moving and entertaining study of character and movement.
Children and adults alike were mesmerised by the first performance on Tuesday.
It's on again on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July at midday.
The spectacular Guandong Puppet Art Theatre from the People's Republic of China is on at Vicky's on Friday 10 July, 6pm; Saturday 11 July 4.30pm and Sunday 12 July at 10am
More fantastic stuff for free
Suggestion Box #Justsaying – which features whiteface mime RIchard Antrobus in a glass box taking written suggestions from the audience is on at 10am daily at the following venues:
Thursday 9 July – the Monument
Friday 10 July – Village Green
Saturday 11 July – Drostdy Arch
Street parades
Preparations are well under way for the sixth annual outing of the now traditional end of Festival street parades. This year's theme is 'Trans Formations/Trans Actions' and the events will include, as the organisers say, "entrancing sounds, captivating sights, moving textures and an inspiring spectacle of different colours". The parades are now established as the signalling of the closing of one festival and the beginning of the process of creating the next.
There are two parades – the first on Saturday 11 July at 11am in Joza and the second on Sunday 12 July through the town centre. Both will include musicians, dancers, giant puppets, stilt walkers and, of course, the now famous tortoise which is on its fourth outing. Performers will include local school and community groups – many of whom are involved in the National Arts Festival's various skills development initiatives. There will also be other local and visiting artists – including international performers.
Preparations and rehearsals are in full swing and, if you were on the Village Green on Sunday 5 July, you might have seen a sneak preview as some of the performers – including a very large spider – staged a pre-parade intervention to publicise the event. There will be other Village Green interventions towards the end of this week. For more information and pictures, search Facebook for 'National Arts Festival Street Parade', consult the Festival programme (p144) or buy Grocott's on Friday for more details and maps of both parade routes.
Quality kids' theatre
Here are just some of the quality productions for kids you can still catch before the week's out.
Lake
Under its Quick Review section Cue Online describes Lake as follows: Superbly performed children’s theatre. The story follows the feuding twins on their journey to find the stolen water. The hall was constantly filled with giggles, which erupted into full laughter as the children were transported with marvellous imagery and comedic mime. This is entertainment for all ages. – Cue Online/Ilza Lang
For more children's Festival fare, read:
cue.ru.ac.za/2014/07/a-festival-of-fun-for-kids-of-all-ages/
For more about the work this Festival of former Cirque de Soleil performer Daniel Buckland, go to cue.ru.ac.za/2014/07/buckland-strikes-again/
Tea
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has backed the staging of Tea in which two strange sisters meet for tea after a long absence. An absurd physical comedy of friendship, sisterhood, competition and attraction ensues. Tea is described as “a delicious, tricky tea-party” by Belgian newspaper ‘De Morgen’.
This production is suitable for all ages and its quirky humour quickly draws you in.
The Dutch performance company, Poolse Vis, is well known for its entertaining physical theatre and mime performances.
Oatlands Hall
Friday 10 July 12
Saturday 11 July10am and 4pm
Sunday 12 July10am
True Confusion
This is a Festival collaboration with ZeBU, ASSITEJ SA and the Danish Arts Foundation decribed by one reviewer as ‘A fine study of pre-teen children’s growing awareness of everything connected with giggles, blushes and falling in love.’
Dancers, Loa Carlslund and Frej Stenholt Mortensen use dance as a physical, challenging and playful stage language to explore how truth is often connected to authority. Filled with emotion, excitement and drama, the two dancers whose movements are duplicated by fascinating shadows provides a delightful narrative about why humans often have problems getting along with one another
Memory Hall
Thursday 9 July at 10am and 4pm
For more about children's Festival fare, read:
cue.ru.ac.za/2014/07/a-festival-of-fun-for-kids-of-all-ages/
And of course, there's the funfair at Fiddlers Green.
More about the Festival
If you're looking for some guidance about where to go and what to see at Festival – as well as any updates on shows that are sold out or cancelled or half price tickets – you can find all of that information on the National Arts Festival website.
Every day, the Festival posts the list of shows that have been given Ovation awards so far this year – a pretty good guarantee that it's a show worth seeing.
They also do daily updates on cancellations and other changes to the programme, half price ticket deals or free shows. You can find all that here
https://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za/category/news/festival-news/
