Top SA dancer in running for prestigious 2016 Kurt Jooss Prize in Germany.
|||Vosloorus-born Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM) dancer and choreographer, Oscar Buthelezi, has been nominated for the prestigious international Kurt Jooss Prize 2016 to be awarded to the winner on May 14 in Germany.
With over 70 choreographers from 26 countries who applied, Buthelezi is flying the South African flag on the world stage as one of three finalists chosen by the international selection panel up for the €12 000 for this high profile choreographic prize.
This talented 25-year-old was nominated for his choreographic creation titled ‘Road’, a duet which has been staged on a number of platforms in Africa including the 2014 Spring–Loaded Festival in Gauteng in 2014, the National Schools Festival in Grahamstown in July 2015, the My Body My Space Festival in 2015 and was well received at the MASA (Market For African Performing Arts) Festival in Abidjan, Ivory Coast last week.
‘Road’ is a poetic and poignant duet, performed alongside fellow MIDM dancer and Rehearsal Director, Muzi Shili, about navigating to where we want to be and defining the route that guides us there.
Buthelezi said he was elated at the nomination, thanking MIDM Artistic Director Mark Hawkins for being a ‘great teacher and mentor who goes beyond the call of duty to support his dancers’.
“I heard about the awards from Mark last year and he encouraged me to submit Road. I am truly humbled for making it this far and for the real potential for global recognition,” he said.
“It motivates me to work even harder towards the realisation of my dream of becoming one of the best choreographers in Africa, maybe even the world,” he added.
With over ten years’ dance experience and a growing repertoire, Buthelezi is well on his way to realising his aspirations.
More recently, Buthelezi was also assistant choreographer on Jessica Nupen’s genre-shaping production Romeo & Juliet: Rebellion & Johannesburg, which premiered in Germany last year and had its South African premier last month, opening the 2016 Dance Umbrella Festival.
Romeo & Juliet: Rebellion & Johannesburg is a bold and provocative re-telling of the classical Shakespearean story set to the backdrop of a transforming street sub-culture in Johannesburg.
The Kurt Jooss Prize was established as a prize for young choreographers in 2001, on the occasion of Jooss’s 100th birthday. Jooss is the co-founder of the Folkwang University of the Arts and the Folkwang Dance Studio.
The prize is sponsored by the Anna and Hermann Markard Foundation and the German City of Essen and is awarded every three years. It is intended to encourage as well as support choreographers not yet fully established in their profession.
“I really feel honoured to be representing South Africa and my incredible company, Moving into Dance Mophatong; it confirms the path I've chosen as choreographer. I’m also excited that my work is going to be exposed internationally on this prestigious platform,” Buthelezi said.
IOL, adapted from a press release