Mamela Nyamza

The South African choreographer Mamela Nyamza, trained in ballet at Tshwane University of Technology (formerly Pretoria Dance Technikon) and at New York’s The Ailey School (formerly Alvin Ailey American Dance Center), deconstructs and challenges the norms of dance. Her trailblazing works, such as "The Dying Swan" in 1998 and "The Meal" in 2012, defy classical traditions. She has received numerous honors for her work, such as being chosen as the Featured Artist of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2018 and named the Legacy Artist of the JOMBA! Dance Festival in 2023. To realize her mission – transforming dance into a means of education about social issues – she founded the HATCHED ENSEMBLE and established a non-profit organization, MAMELAS ARTISTIC MOVEMENT.