JOMBA! 2026 Brings Global Dance, Activism and Creative Excellence to Durban

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Centre for Creative Arts will once again transform Durban into a hub of contemporary dance when the 28th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience takes place from 26 August to 7 September 2026.

Over 13 days, the internationally acclaimed festival will bring together choreographers, performers, scholars and audiences from across the globe in one of Africa’s premier contemporary dance events. This year’s programme features artists from South Africa, Spain, France, Jamaica, The Netherlands, Uganda, Ireland, Nigeria, Tanzania and Brazil, presenting an exciting line-up of performances, artist residencies, workshops, public dialogues, youth programmes and digital dance experiences.

The 2026 festival is themed ‘Choreographies of Activism: Moving Bodies as Disruptive Presencing’, exploring how dance continues to challenge injustice, provoke dialogue and create spaces for visibility and change. JOMBA! Curator and Artistic Director, Dr Lliane Loots, says the festival examines the role of movement in confronting issues such as colonialism, racial inequality, environmental crisis, gender-based violence, displacement and belonging.

“Whether confronting histories of colonialism, racial injustice, environmental catastrophe, gendered violence, displacement, disability or belonging, dance remains one of humanity’s oldest and most powerful ways of making ourselves visible. This year’s JOMBA! asks what it means to move as an act of presence – and to dance as an act of activism,” she says.

A highlight of every JOMBA! festival is the recognition of a South African artist whose work has made a lasting contribution to the country’s dance landscape. This year’s Legacy Artist is renowned choreographer, curator and arts activist PJ Sabbagha, founder and Artistic Director of the Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative. Sabbagha will present ‘Noah’, the final production in his acclaimed Noah trilogy, combining multimedia performance, dance theatre and striking visual imagery to explore themes of climate change, memory, loss and survival.

The festival also welcomes two of South Africa’s most influential contemporary dance makers and previous JOMBA! Legacy Artists. Award-winning choreographer Mamela Nyamza presents ‘THE HERD/LESS’, a visually compelling ensemble work. examining community, conformity, vulnerability and survival. Internationally celebrated choreographer and performer Vincent Mantsoe returns with his latest solo work, ‘Desert Poems’, an intimate exploration of endurance, spirituality and transformation that draws on his distinctive fusion of ancestral knowledge and contemporary performance.

JOMBA! 2026 continues its tradition of showcasing world-class international dance. Jamaica’s acclaimed L’ACADCO: A United Caribbean Dance presents ‘1LUV’, a vibrant celebration of Black creativity, spirituality and resilience. Founded by legendary choreographer Dr L’Antoinette Stines, the company is internationally recognised for its unique Caribbean contemporary dance language rooted in African diasporic traditions.

One of the festival’s major highlights is ‘HEROES’, presented by Dutch company Introdans in collaboration with Uganda’s Joseph Tebandeke and Durban’s FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY. The programme features internationally celebrated works by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich, alongside choreography by South Africa’s Zinhle Nzama and the inclusive performance masterpiece IUNGO by Adriaan Luteijn.

French choreographer Matthieu Nieto, now based in Tanzania, presents ‘PEPONI’ (‘Paradise’ in Swahili), created with Tanzanian performers and South African poet Koleka Putuma. The production explores African perspectives on paradise and imagines hopeful futures through movement and storytelling. Nigerian-born, Ireland-based choreographer Mufutau Yusuf presents his immersive site-responsive solo ‘Proses on neither here nor there’ at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts (KZNSA) Gallery, inviting audiences into a contemplative experience exploring mortality, memory and renewal.

Following successful international partnerships, JOMBA! 2026 places a special spotlight on contemporary Spanish dance in partnership with the Embassy of Spain in South Africa. Barcelona-based Iron Skulls Co., renowned for blending breakdance, hip-hop, physical theatre and contemporary dance, will serve as the festival’s artists in residence. Together with South African choreographer Tebby W T Ramasike, the company will create the world premiere of ‘Accumulation of Unaccountable Awakenings’, combining explosive urban movement with Afro-Butoh practice in a powerful exploration of memory, resistance, spirituality and healing.

The festival continues its commitment to nurturing emerging artists through a range of platforms. The JOMBA! Durban Edge Solo Grants, presented with the KZNSA Gallery, will premiere newly commissioned works by Durban artists Skyla Buchanan and Mthokozisi Mkhwanazi. Digital audiences can experience new works by Cape Town’s Darkroom Contemporary and Brazilian choreographic duo Davi Pontes and Wallace Ferreira, whose acclaimed dance film Delirar o Racial (Delirium of the Racial) forms part of the programme.

Emerging artists will also be showcased through the JOMBA! DIGITAL OPEN HORIZONS, LIVE OPEN HORIZONS and YOUTH OPEN HORIZONS platforms, while the expanded FEMME FORWARD Residency supports five KwaZulu-Natal women-identifying dance artists exploring dance for the screen.

Beyond the stage, JOMBA! offers audiences opportunities to engage through post-performance JOMBA! Talks Dance’ sessions, the free Forging Futures dialogue series and the KHULUMA Dance Writing Residency, which mentors emerging dance writers and postgraduate students. Professional dancers and aspiring performers can also participate in workshops and masterclasses led by visiting South African and international artists.

Performances and events will take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Square Space Theatre, Stable Theatre and KZNSA Gallery. Tickets can be booked through Webtickets, with discounted full festival passes available. For the full programme and more information, click here.

Words: NdabaOnline

Photographs: Supplied