Makhanda at NAF: Prestige School of Dance
Preview: Liminal and Echoes of a Century
By Relebohile Mohapi
With two performances set to brighten the stages at the National Arts Festival, Prestige School of Dance’s performers are hard at work. The school has been on the National Arts Festival programme since 2023. This year, they are rehearsing two productions: Liminal and Echoes of a Century.
Nicole Joka, who founded Prestige, is originally from East London but has come to think of the Makhanda community as her own. She highlights her responsibility to the people in Makhanda to ensure they see Makhanda art. These performances are a gateway to integrating the arts into life.
Liminal takes the audience on a journey back to the essence of dance – a blank canvas for the performers to fill the in-between space where dancers just dance. It will portray the art of movement, its complexities and traditions.
Echoes of a Century reflects South Africa’s musical evolution, incorporating dance and theatre. Beginning with 1950s kwela, this work progresses through the years to kwaito and intertwines South African music and its relationship to storytelling. In this way, Echoes aims to showcase music’s monumental role in South Africa’s history.
Mihlali Ngqinzi, a dancer who will be performing for the third time at NAF, says being a part of the Festival is fulfilling. “It sets me on a stage bigger than Makhanda. People come from all over to watch,” he said. As a Makhanda resident, he looks forward to having his community and family support him, as this Festival is within their reach.
Another dancer, Kuhle Sinama, is “excited by the nerves”. This will be her second NAF performance, but the anticipation has not died. She has dreamed of being on stage for years, and this opportunity elates her. Like Ngqinzi, she loves the idea of her community watching her do what she loves.
For more information and to book: https://tickets.nationalartsfestival.co.za/en/events/802/liminal and https://tickets.nationalartsfestival.co.za/en/events/805/echoes-of-a-century
