Udaba Dance Festival returns to Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, 01–06 December 2025
- Dec 3
- 2 min read
The annual Udaba Dance Festival is set to dazzle audiences with a rich showcase of African dance forms, contemporary, modern, hip-hop, tap, and national dance, featuring solos, duets, trios, and group performances. From 01 – 06 December 2025, the festival will take center stage at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, offering dance lovers of all ages an unmissable celebration of movement, rhythm, and culture.
Recognized as a leader in modern dance, the Udaba Dance Festival not only presents captivating performances but also provides educational opportunities and community programs. For the 2022 edition, nine producers were selected to showcase their productions, each receiving a performance fee to support the creation of meaningful dance experiences.
“Udaba Dance Festival is our flagship programme. Our mission is to elevate it to international standards and provide a platform for dance practitioners in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and beyond. This festival allows us to address access, redress, promotion, and development in the dance sector, and to map out strategies for its growth,” said MEC of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Sibulele Ngongo.
Produced by the Nelson Mandela Bay Theatre Complex (MBTC), an entity of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the provincial Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts & Culture (DSRAC) and the NMBM, the festival celebrates the dance industry across the Eastern Cape. The platform also seeks to develop dance in all its facets, highlighting local productions with potential to tour nationally.
“Our goal is for dancers to tour, create sustainable livelihoods, and for the festival to grow into a reliable, innovative, and creative annual event. We aim to present at least three events per year, with the flagship festival in December, delivering high-quality and unique dance entertainment,” explained MEC Ngongo.
“Dance continues to serve as a vehicle for spiritual rituals, liberation of imagination, and the expression of emotions. Through ongoing training and development of choreographers and dancers, we aim to enhance these experiences across the province,” MEC Ngongo added.
“Dancers and choreographers use their bodies to create rhythmical patterns, explore space, and evoke vivid representations of the world. We want to establish a vibrant platform in the Eastern Cape where artists of all ages can collaborate, create, and leave a lasting imprint on the South African artistic landscape,” concluded MEC Ngongo.
For more, visit: Mandela Bay Theatre Complex
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