THAMSANQA MAJELA
This South African born Choreographer, Creative Director, Performing Artist and Dance Teacher is the Dance Category Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for 2022. He is a multidisciplinary performance artist with a particular interest in issues pertaining to Digital and Spiritual Art and is a diligent campaigner in the LGBTQIA space in which he together with his peers and queer artists have for a long time (15 years thus far) been bringing to the fore. This they have done by way of activism through deliberations, advocacy and presentation. The latter was also endorsed through Artist Laboratories in Germany. His profile extends to various arts sector mediums. Inter alia: FILM where he collaborated with Axel Stansky and Manaho Shimokawa (Vienna) in the creation of a monochromatic duet titled A Last One In Color that Premiered at the 2017 Japanische Filmtage (Vienna). In the same year it was nominated in the Best Story category at the Sarajevo Fashion Film Festival as well as an Official Selection for the 2017 Mosaic Film Festival. At the 2019 RollOUT Dance Film Award A Last One In Color received a Special Citation.

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SHORT FILMS that he had created which went on to be screened in numerous festivals and through Online Platforms. These are:
1) Layered Waves which featured at Mobile Dance Film Festival in New York City and at he Lift-Off First Time Film-Makers in the United Kingdom.
2) Each Passing Minute which featured at the Think Short
3) iNxeba and Lilith, Lucifer and Eve
4) Sub Zero was selected for the Lift-Off Global Network in the United Kingdom. It featured at the Woman Scream Film Festival in the Dominican Republic.
5) Spactral was presented at the Virtual-National Arts Festival at Makhanda in South Africa. It was also Screened as part of the Performance Kokkenet Film Festival in Denmark.
He, per invitation, conducted a workshop during the Season 7 at William Kentridge Studios – Centre for the Less Good Idea – where he created:
– Pepper’s Ghost Device
– Physical Transformation and the Poetic Body
Places at which he has hitherto taught are, among others: A. the Dance Factory in the Kids’ program. B. Vuyani Dance Company. C. Moving into Dance Mophatong. D. The Jo’burg
Ballet Theatre. E. The Hillbrow Outreach Foundation. F. The Orlovska Dance Academy. G. The South African Dance Alliance Day of Dance. And H: The ProfiTraining-Tanz Buero (Basel, Switzerland). To make dance training accessible to far-flung areas Majela has thus far peripatetically conducted classes and held workshops in various regions of his home country i.e., Kwa-Zulu Natal, Gauteng, Northern Cape and the Free State.

MAHMOUD MBEGA
Mahmoud Mbega is an energetic and dedicated dancer and choreographer that is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. In his four years of training and professional experience he has been exposed to African Contemporary Dance and to Yoga that he developed through three years of intensive training at Muda Africa Dance School in Dar es Salaam. Mbega is a freelance artist that is dedicated to Performing Arts and Choreography. Additionally: he is involved in Commercial and Concert Fine Art work for Stage, Film and Social Media.

SIBONELO MCHUNU
Mchunu who hails from Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa underwent his training at Mhayise Productions. Thereafter; he was admitted at thet Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) where he obtained a National Diploma in Performance Arts and Dance – cum laude in 2021. He went on to secure an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts (2022).
Currently: He is enrolled for the Post Graduate Diploma 2023 at the same institution – TUT. Among others he has worked with the following Arts Luminaries: Kelsey Middleton, Mdu
Nhlapo and Gregory Maqoma. His creations include INTERNAL, EVICTION and JOURNEY. His works have been performed at Kucheza Africa Festival 2022, Mayibuye Community
Outreach Program and at the Ekurhuleni Arts Showcase 2023. Sibonelo is a visionary and a game-changer that strives to better his life as well as the lives of fellow practitioners.

TAWANDA MANDARA
This versatile performer and healer whose career began at 14 years at Zvishamiso
Community Arts Center where he was equipped with the knowledge of being able to pursue
the unknown stories of this world which we always observe in silence has grown to become
one of the prominent practitioners in the field of (performing) arts.
In the list of productions and choreographers with whom he has worked the following come
to the fore
Having been invited (in 2017) by the late Trevor Bigboy Ndlovu he gave inputs and added
flavor and rhythms of his home country’s ethnicity dance style and originality which led to
the creation of a movement called Afro-Bhenga.
In 2015, at Afrikeira Arts Trust he, together with Peter Lenso, were instrumental in the
creation of “Nalimitemwa (A Prayer) which was performed by the Afrikeira Arts Trust
Students at Star Light Festival at the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe.
In 2013 at Tumbuka Dance Company he underwent his apprenticeship at Tumbuka Dance
Company where he worked with the likes of Artistic Director Anna Morris and mentor
McIntosh Jerahuni also under the auspices of the Dance Trust of Zimbabwe (National Ballet
of Zimbabwe).
In 2013 he shone in the solo segment of McIntosh’s production titled Chirodziva (The
sleeping pool).
The following are, in no particular order, names and organizations that he has been involved
with: the late Costa Ticht and Alfa Kat on Big Flexer (music video); Sonnyboy Ntuli -Artistic
Director of Moving Into Dance (dance); Teresa Mojela of Phuti Pedi Production (dance);

Muzi Shili (dance); Thulani chauke – Jo’burg Theatre; and Qhubeka Dance Production – Free
State Province.
Not only is he working as performer and choreographer at Skostifoutain he is also part of
Thamsanqa Majela’s piece ‘Don’t let the sun set on you here’ to be staged at the National
Arts Festival 2023.