Jazzart Dance Theatre Celebrates Dance Diversity with the Meraki Dance Festival

Jazzart Dance Theatre’s ‘Meraki Dance Festival’, held from 26 February – 7 March 2026, is an innovative platform that celebrates all dance forms in South Africa. From contemporary to ballet, the festival features workshops, performances, and choreography magic for dancers and audiences. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Inspiration Behind The Meraki Dance Festival

Meraki means, “to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to leave a piece and essence of yourself in your work”. It encapsulates Jazzart’s desire to showcase local, national and international choreographers, and to create a platform where they can share new works, and restage much-loved repertoire performances.

The festival will also spark conversations around different choreographic styles, and be the centre stage for these talented professionals to share their skills with emerging choreographers.

What to Expect at The Meraki Dance Festival

This year Meraki will stretch across two consecutive weeks and two performance spaces at Artscape.

Week One (26 – 28 February 2026) takes place in the Arena, featuring three days of workshops in styles including Contemporary, Pan-African, Amapiano and Hip Hop, ending in a midday performance showcasing young dancers. This platform was curated to inspire and engage school-aged audiences.

Week Two (5 – 7 March 2026) moves into the Artscape Theatre, with masterclasses led by leading practitioners, evening performances, and a Saturday matinee for broader audiences.

Meraki 2026 features returning companies including Figure of 8 Dance Theatre, Gain Collective, Imbewu Dance Collective, Cape Ballet Africa and SboNdaba Dance alongside new companies EOAN Dance Company, Basic Black, Waterfront Theatre School, Unmute Dance Theatre and Dance for All.

About Jazzart Dance Theatre

Jazzart has been at the forefront of contemporary dance in South Africa for more than 51 years. Over this time, the company, a registered NPC, has consistently pushed the envelope of creative physical expression with its artful capturing of prevailing narratives, as well as its 3-year professional dance qualification.

In November 2024, celebrating 30 years of South African democracy, Jazzart staged a production entitled Four Frames of Freedom. Opening night was a triumph but the production run was sadly cut short due to some of its company members being hi-jacked and traumatised, leading to Jazzart itself also suffering substantial financial loss.

The Meraki Dance Festival is Jazzart’s signal to all South Africans that they and their dance colleagues are here to stay. The country’s stories will continue to be told through dance.

Cost: R50 – R180. Tickets available on Webtickets.