Applications are open for JOMBA! Open Horizons platform
Organisers are looking for innovative, experimental, and critically engaged works that push the boundaries of how dance is created.
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal has opened submissions for the 2026 JOMBA! Open Horizons platforms, which are an integral part of the annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience.
Runnng from August 27 to September 8, JOMBA! provides an opportunity for dance-makers to showcase new works in a safe, and supportive environment.
Open Horizons aims to showcase screen-dance and dance film, focusing on work that is created specifically for the screen.
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JOMBA! invites submissions (five to 10 minutes in length) from local, African and international choreographers that engage the moving body in relation to the camera, editing, framing, and digital space, where choreography extends beyond the stage into cinematic forms.
“We are looking for works conceived as screen-based choreographic experiences, where movement, lens, time, and environment are integral to the making of the film,” explains JOMBA! artistic director Lliane Loots.
“We welcome innovative, experimental, and critically engaged practices within the contemporary dance idiom, including interdisciplinary and hybrid forms that push the boundaries of how dance is created, perceived, and circulated in digital space.”
Selected works will be screened publicly on the festival’s YouTube channel as part of the official programme.
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The festival is looking for works that sit within the contemporary dance idiom, that are bold, experimental, and can include interdisciplinary approaches to live performance.
Choreographic voices that explore innovation, risk-taking, and fresh perspectives will be at an advantage.
“We want performances that can engage audiences in new ways and contribute to the beautifully evolving landscape of African contemporary dance,” says Loots.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their entries early at https://jomba.ukzn.ac.za. The deadline is July 20.
Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected].