ABSTRACT
As suggested in the outline to this third section of the book, this chapter focusses on the important role festivals play in facilitating connections and encounters between artists working in integrated dance in Africa and between artists and audiences. It begins by tracing major characteristics and functions of festivals broadly before exploring the role of festivals in Africa, particularly in the context of the financial imperatives that inform Arts’ sectors. It then focuses specifically on dance in South Africa, which hosts the greatest number of dance and focussed integrated dance festivals on the continent. Finally, it analyses the importance of programming and spaces for enabling the creation of works that facilitate encounters between people of diverse racial, gendered and ability backgrounds. These ideas are then mapped against both mainstream contemporary dance and specifically focussed integrated and disability dance work intersectionally to facilitate dialogue on gender, race, class and disability issues between performers, performances and audiences, while proposing new ways of thinking about citizenship.
