Cast

Thapelo Kotlolo

Dancer

Thapelo Kotlolo studied performing arts and facilitation at The Sibikwa Arts Centre from 2008-2009. In 2010 he joined The Sibikwa Arts Dance Company and performed at different dance festivals in South Africa including the Grahamstown National Arts Festival. In 2011 he joined the internship programme of the Forgotten Angel Theatre Collaborative. He toured Europe with Ikusasa in 2012 and upon his return he re-joined Sibikwa as a senior dancer and facilitator. 2014 he presented his first choreography entitled Shades at Spring Loaded Festival. In 2015 he choreographed a dance piece entitled Men Don’t Talk which was presented at the Museum Of African Design as part of the Dance Umbrella Festival.

Akona Florian

Dancer

Akhona trained at Cape Academy of Performing Arts and Nathalie Vivjer’s School of Drama. She also studied Vocal and Musical Theatre under Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander. As a member of Cape Dance Company, she toured nationally, including performances at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, and internationally including visits to France, the United States and the United Kingdom. Akhona’s specialisms include Ballet, Contemporary, Horton, Release, Modern, Yoga, Hip Hop and African.

Tshediso Kabulu

Dancer

Tshediso Kabulu began his first formal dance training in 2008 under dance teacher and choreographer David Hala where he majored in afro-fusion and African contemporary. Tshediso won numerous popular dance campus competitions between 2007 - 2011 including So You Think You Can Dance campus challenge, MTN Campus Dance Challenge and UFS Culture evening dance category, to mention a few. In 2009, he began classical contemporary training with Reginald Danster and joined Flatfoot Dance Company in January 2012 as a dance educator. Since his internship at Flatfoot Dance Company, Tshediso has worked with a number of high-calibre professional dance choreographers.

Tony Banyatsi

Dancer

Tony Boemo Banyatsi was born and raised in North West Mafikeng and began studying performing arts in 1997. In 2006 he joined arts agency Magic Train and also trained at Portents Dance Company. In 2008 he studied performing arts at Sibikwa Arts Centre, and in 2012 he went to study in Senegal at the School of Sand with renowned choreographer, Germaine Acogny.

Nosiphiwo Samente

Dancer

Nosiphiwo Samente has been involved in theatre productions and dancing professionally for approximately 10 years, as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. Nosiphiwo trained at Jazzart Dance Theatre where she graduated to become a professional dancer. She then moved to Johannesburg where she worked for Vuyani Dance Theatre under Gregory Maqoma and The Forgotten Angel Theatre Collaborative under PJ Sabbagha.

Ratshepe Makhene

Musician

Ratshepe “Phresh” Makhene is a singer/songwriter, bass player and percussionist, born and raised in Soweto, South Africa.

He has recently worked with world-renowned South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma on his Rain Dance production at The Market Theatre, toured India and performed at the South African 21st Freedom Day celebration in Mumbai and performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall with Grammy Award winning Flautist Wouter Kellerman.

Geo

Singer

At 16, Geo performed at Genghis Cohen’s, Hollywood and Dartington Hall, Devon, going on to tour with Where Is Home? the following year, including a season at Edinburgh Fringe. These experiences of performing alongside artists from around the world have allowed her to reach a wide and very appreciative audience. Geo started writing songs in her early teens. By 17 she had quite a collection of songs, the best of which appear on her debut album AURA.

Michele Montolli

Musician

Michele studied violin from the age of seven, switching later to electric bass. By the age of seventeen he had taken up classical double bass at Verona’s Conservatory. Following this he moved to Graz in Austria where he graduated in 2009 in Jazz Double Bass with the great Wayne Darling.

Michele has worked all over Europe, in New York, Tokyo and in the Balkan Peninsula, fusing Afro-American tradition with years of classical training and experimental form-free music. Credits include Knoel Scott and Marshall Allen (Sun Ra Arkestra), Julie Dexter, Heidi Vogel, Don Menza, Lami Bajram Istrefi, and Amira Kheir.

Yusuf Ahmed

Musician

Born in Amsterdam and raised in London from an Italian mother and a Pakistani father, Yusuf’s multicultural background is a blue print for the music with which he identifies. Yusuf holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Prins Claus Conservatory in the Netherlands and Royal Academy of Music in London. He studied drums with Steve Altenberg, Gene Jackson, Martin France and Barak School. He is a member of the Rubix Group Studios where they offer the highest quality drum tracking and recording facilities in central London.

David Klassen

Musician

Independent percussionist David Klassen is a full-time freelance drummer and vocalist in the South African music industry. David has worked with many artists, including Luna Paige, Havana Gas and Concord Nkabinde.

Masumi Endo

Dancer

Masumi is a Japan-born artist who trained from an early age in Hip Hop Dance, and then found the UK Jazz Dance style. Masumi moved to London to study and dance with UK Jazz Dance pioneers Jerry Barry, Gary Nurse, Wayne James, Perry Louis and Irven Lewis. She has recently performed at Jass Box Norway and she is currently on tour with Robert Mitchell’s Epiphany 3 exploring Jazz improvisation and giving workshops.