Biography: Sifiso E. Kweyama

Sifiso E. Kweyama

I firstly joined PHENDUKA Dance Theatre which was based in Durban in 1989 where I began my training under Alfred Hinkel (Artistic Director of Jazzart Dance Theatre in Cape Town). Whilst at Phenduka I performed a production called Gida Africa at the Playhouse Loft in 1990. In 1991 I joined Body And Soul Dance Company directed by Annett Veterlli and ... In 1992, I was invited to perform in David Kramer and Taliep Petersen’s musical “Poison” in Cape Town where I re-established my connection with Alfred Hinkel. Poison was performed at Capab 1992/1993

In 1993, I joined Jazzart Dance Theatre and resumed my training under Alfred Hinkel. While training at Jazzart I performed over 30 000 school children in the Western Cape.

As a member of this company, he developed into an extremely accomplished performer, appearing in the award-winning Jazzart productions of “Medea”, “Junction”, “uMoya Womzansi” and “Bolero”.

Dance, teaching and choreography has taken Sifiso to many parts of the world including Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Germany, Angola, Namibia, USA and Morocco.
While enjoying these international engagements, he has chosen to pursue his goal in Johannesburg passing the skills he has learnt over the years and train young performers for careers as professional artists and in 2004 established his own OKHELA Dance Theatre to fulfil his goals and created works such as The Language and Pictures On The Wall. He is currently choreographing a work called Muramba on Tumbuka Dance Company from Zimbabwe for the 2007 Dance Umbrella. In Johannesburg Sifiso has taught and choreographed for the companies such as Tshwane Dance Theatre, Ballet Theatre Afrikan and taught the 2005 trainees of Moving Into Dance Mophatong and The Dance Factory. He has been teaching part-time african dance at the Tshwane University Of Technology in Pretoria since 2005. Sifiso is currently an assistant director of the FNB Dance Umbrella Festival

In 2000 he was proud to be associated as a choreographer and a singer with the highly acclaimed production of “Moya Wa Sechaba” (starring Sibongile Khumalo, ZIP ZAP Circus and Jazzart) and was proud to feature as a singer alongside Ms. Khumalo. In 2001 he left for Durban where he re-established PHENDUKA Dance Theatre, with Sbonakaliso Ndaba and Ondine Bello. Whilst at PHENDUKA he Choreographed ‘Excuse Me!’: for Ballet Theatre Afrikan). ‘Recognition - An Every woman’s Story’: created for the South African Women’s Arts Festival 2001(Playhouse Drama Theatre, Durban) ‘The Sound That Comes Back To You from The World’: commissioned for the JOMBA! Dance Experience 2001. ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’: A collaboration between Durban’s dance companies: PHENDUKA Dance Theatre, Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company, Siwela Sonke, Flatfoot Dance Company and The Floating Outfit Project (2001)

In 2003 Sifiso re-joined JAZZART Dance Theatre as a trainee artistic director. While at Jazzart he continued doing what he loves best teaching the Jazzart trainees and the company and co-choreographing Klipfontein Corridor Project involving about 80 children from the Western Cape primary schools and a highly acclaimed JAZZART and MAGNET Theatre production Rain In A Dead Man’s Footsprints.