The Centre for the Less Good Idea is an interdisciplinary incubator space for the arts based in Maboneng, Johannesburg

David Thatanelo April

Season 5 is curated by Phala Ookeditse Phala and David April

Taking place 24 - 28 April 2019
Programmes starting at 6:30 and 8pm daily

Co-curated by Phala O Phala and David Thatanelo April, Season 5 of The Centre for the Less Good Idea sees traditional forms of art and performance being re-imagined through free-spirited, transdisciplinary collaboration and the alternative realities made possible by technology.

Through a series of short-form 11-minute epics as well as 3-minute 360 VR films, Season 5 will attempt to make sense of embodied narratives and contemporary spiritualities. It will present performances that refuse to begin, and posit the outcomes of stories that have been lost to history. Internal monologues will be rendered tangible through virtual reality, and cityscapes will find grounding in an experimental opera.

Above all else, vulnerability, imperfection, and a move towards the unknown will find resonance through a pursuit for the less good idea.

David Thatanelo April | Co-curator

Co-curator for Season 5 of The Centre for the Less Good Idea, David Thatanelo April is a director, teacher, choreographer and lobbyist in the realms of South African dance and performance with over two decades of experience in the industry.

As former Artistic and Executive Director of Moving into Dance(MID), and currently Creative Entrepreneurial Officer of David April Arts Consultancy, he contributed significantly to the status of MID as a leading force amongst South Africa’s diverse dance aesthetics and continues to be a dedicated mentor and advisor to many other young dancers and choreographers.

Season 5 sees April bringing an open mind to the possibilities that can arise when technology and performance merge in creative spaces. Together with co-curator Phala O. Phala, April has worked to craft and facilitate a host of new works loosely centred around the themes of spirituality, becoming, and the integrated approach to dance, performance, music and more.

April also lends his longstanding knowledge of the performing arts to this Season’s artists, encouraging them to experiment beyond their conventional practices and familiarities.

In addition to co-curating and helping to form many of the works and 11-minute epics in Season 5, April will be collaborating with theatre-maker Sylvaine Strike, and will be choreographing a work with Phumlani Mndebele, Mdu Nhlapo and Strike amongst other pieces.