Internationally revered South African choreographer, Gregory Maqoma, returns to the Baxter Theatre for a limited season this February, for the world premiere of his latest production, Genesis, a groundbreaking dance opera fusing dance, music and poetry. Here’s everything you need to know about the performance.
Genesis Confronts Colonial Legacy and Contemporary Injustice
This much-anticipated production of Genesis follows the triumphant Baxter seasons of Gregory Maqoma’s critically acclaimed Exit/Exist in 2023 (honoured with the Fleur du Cap Encore Award) and Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Bolero in 2024. With Genesis, Maqoma continues to push the boundaries of contemporary dance, offering a poetic and visceral exploration of creation, transformation and the infinite cycle of existence.
Inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, and the poetic defiance of migrant communities across the world, Maqoma and team confront the ghouls of colonial legacies and their role in perpetuating contemporary injustices.
Genesis adopts a hybrid form, the dance opera – where movement, live music, and text weave seamlessly into an intensely theatrical and poetic narrative –and sets the story in a parallel time, one suffused with biblical imagery, regional myths, and recent history.
At the heart of Genesis is an acclaimed creative team of musicians, writers and designers. Audiences are set to be immersed in a live musical landscape performed by Mthwakazi Chosi, Annalyzer, Yogin Sulaphin and Xolilisle Bongwana, under the musical direction and composition of Nhlanhla Mahangu.
Poetry is delivered by Anelisa Phewa, whose powerful presence brings emotional depth and nuance, while the libretto by celebrated writer Karthika Nair anchors the narrative in lyricism and imagination.
The production features costumes by Jacques van der Watt (Black Coffee Fashion), lighting design by Oliver Hauser and set design by Willy Cesar. Working alongside long-time collaborator Shannel Winlock-Pailman, Gregory Maqoma has challenged and expanded the expressive range of the Vuyani Dance Theatre ensemble, demanding exceptional physicality and performance excellence.
Maqoma is the founder and creative director of Vuyani Dance Theatre, established in 1999, and the director of Gregory Maqoma Industries. Renowned for his collaborative vision, he has produced world-class work that has toured to over 100 cities across five continents.
Audiences are invited to experience the genesis of a new era in performance art and witness Gregory Maqoma’s visionary genius live on stage when Genesis: The Beginning and End of Time takes to The Baxter stage.
How to Book Tickets
Cost: R200 – R250. Tickets available on Webtickets.
When: 18 – 21 February 2026 | 18th and 19th: 7.30pm | 20th: 8pm | 21st: 3pm and 7.30pm
Where: Baxter Theatre Centre, Main Rd, Rondebosch, Cape Town
Website: gregmaqoma.com
Facebook: Gregory Vuyani Maqoma
Instagram: @gregmaqoma_industries
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