Basic HTML Version
153
Being Human
Art
In Action
UCT’s curriculum of performing arts has placed many stars on
the world’s stages. It prides itself on the quality of its teaching,
the success of its graduates, and the commitment of both staff
and students to contributing to the communities in which they
live and work.
U
CT is renowned for its performing arts curriculum spanning music, dance,
film, drama and art. In the past year the work of students and faculty in the
performing arts shone both locally and internationally.
Special mention must go to pianist Jane Yu, an alumna of the South African College
of Music, who is delighting audiences around the world with her extraordinary musical
abilities. After completing her honours degree at UCT, and following a highly successful
performance at Carnegie Hall earlier this year, she has been chosen to pursue her
master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music.
UCT’s School of Dance students also returned triumphant from the International Theatre
School (ITS) Festival in Amsterdam, having won the coveted ITS Guest Award for best
international performance.
A Journey from Past to Present
interpreted four themed
pieces that formed part of the South African story. The students did not try to emulate
European dance styles but delivered an authentic and technically skilled performance.
Judges were impressed with the novel way in which the performance merged traditional
and international dance styles in a manner both unique and exciting.
To ensure that more South Africans have the opportunity to pursue careers on the stage,
key advances have been made in finding funding for the arts at UCT. UCT’s Opera
School has a proud legacy of discovering talent in disadvantaged communities rich in
musical culture, yet its programmes remain some of UCT’s most expensive. To further
the university’s broader transformation agenda of developing inclusive curricula and
engaging African voices, the Opera School Endowment Fund was launched in 2012 to
make pledging donations more accessible to both individuals and organisations.
A key role of arts at UCT is to explore, express and interpret what it is to be South African
and African. Several important exhibitions took place in 2012, including the annual
Michaelis School of Fine Art’s Graduation Exhibition, which showcased the extraordinary
work of 52 students. Key among these was the exhibition by Associate Professor Johann
van der Schijff at the Iziko South African National Gallery titled
Community Punching
Bags.
In a collaboration with several Cape Town high schools, the punching bags,
adorned with faces, demonstrated that issues often not spoken of, such as violence,
discrimination, racism and xenophobia, can be addressed in a collaborative and
creative way through interactive art.
The African Cinema Unit, under the directorship of Associate Professor Lesley Marx,
hosted the first Alternative Africa Film Festival,
Right-wing Vampires, Ritual and
Rapture.
Other activities from the unit included the launch of Professor Jyoti Mistry’s
book
We remember differently: Race, Memory, Imagination,
and the presentation
by South African film-maker Ross Devenish of his film and television work. Award-
winning director Oliver Hermanus was also showcased, while students benefited from a
screenwriting and screen production master class.