Gregory Maqoma founded Vuyani Dance Theatre (VDT) in 1999, shaping it into one of Africa’s most influential contemporary dance companies. As Artistic Director, Maqoma’s vision and artistry have carried VDT across local and international stages, where his work continues to challenge, inspire, and captivate audiences. Through his leadership, VDT has become a cutting‑edge collective of professionals, embodying thought‑provoking creativity and establishing itself as a dynamic force in the global dance landscape.
Who We Are
We are an African Contemporary Dance Company, a space created for all to come together and play.
More Than Just Dance.
VDT is not just about performance — it’s about people.
We are a collective of 22 passionate professionals, each contributing to a movement that empowers individuals and communities. Every production sustains livelihoods, builds careers, and nurtures dreams. When you support Vuyani Dance Theatre, you are investing in the future of African arts.
Our Work
From Johannesburg to global stages, Vuyani Dance Theatre continues to captivate audiences with groundbreaking works such as Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro, ZO!Mute, and Gester Maoba. Each production blends poetry, theatre, and music into a uniquely African narrative, reimagining literature, history, and everyday life. Through movement, our performances become living, breathing art that transcends cultural and language barriers, affirming the resilience and creativity of the human spirit.
ZO!Mute unites two of South Africa’s most celebrated choreographers — Gregory Maqoma and Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe — in a powerful dialogue between body, spirit, and the human condition. The Works ZO! (Vincent Mantsoe) Created in 2022 and premiered in 2023, ZO! channels the mythical Queen ZO — graceful yet fearless, angry yet destructive — embodying humanity’s unpredictable duality. Mantsoe blends the street dance of his youth with contemporary South African styles, rooted in spirituality and tradition. The dancers explore greed, despair, and weakness, revealing the fragile balance between power and vulnerability. Mute (Gregory Maqoma) Responding to ZO!, Maqoma’s Mute (world premiere, 2023) confronts “the everyday universe of greed.” Through hypnotic music, percussive rhythms, and resonant silence, dancers embody both decay and resilience, transforming the body into a vessel of hope. The work amplifies the human spirit, asking if we can build a future — even a utopia — from loss.
Gester Maoba is a striking exploration of oppression and identity, reflecting on the constraints imposed by history, the restrictive nature of laws, the demarcation of land, and the divisive impact of racial segregation. Gester Maoba (choreographed by Otto Andile Nhlapo) Set against the backdrop of Sophiatown, the work interrogates not only political and social oppression but also the societal expectations of what a man should be. Through movement, dancers embody the tension between imposed roles and personal freedom, revealing the struggles of masculinity shaped by history and circumstance. Nhlapo’s choreography fuses traditional and contemporary South African dance vocabularies, creating a visceral performance that speaks to resilience, defiance, and the enduring spirit of communities who resisted erasure.
Let’s Connect
Reach out to us for creative partnerships, workshops, performance bookings , or sustainable cultural collaborations designed to inspire and engage.
Call us at 011 838 7666 or fill out our form, and we’ll contact you.
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- Cion: Requiem of Ravel’s Boléro
- Zo!Mute
- Gester Maoba
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