Community groups gear up for 2011

Cape Town Carnival’s Community Facilitator Angie Petersen is working with local community dance groups to polish up their performances for next year’s carnival to be held in Long St on March 19. Each group or ‘pod’ will have an average of 200 dancers all dressed in identical costumes and performing carefully choreographed dance moves.
Building on last year’s carnival, the communities are currently choosing music and brainstorming costumes and choreographing dance moves for the start of dance rehearsals which will take place in various community and church halls around the peninsula from later this month until the final dress rehearsals in March next year.
Angie says: "The groups are all sourcing their selection of songs, working on choreography and eagerly awaiting the Carnival's creative deptartment's dates for measurements of costumes. Everyone is excited, ready and keen to start rehearsals."The theme of this year’s carnival is Dream the Future and each of the pods will feature a float or moving art installation, 10 dream girls (with huge decorated costumes) and a pod of 200 dancers. Each pod will have its own music supply which will be playing the pod’s chosen music and in between the pods will be live performers including jugglers, stilt walkers, monocyclists, drummers, giant bubbles and confetti machines.
The community groups that are involved are:

Name of organisation Area Activity
AMY BIEHL FOUNDATION Khayelitsha Gumboot dancers
APHRODITE BELLY DANCERS Athlone/Strandfontein Belly dancers
AVONDALE DRUM MAJORETTES Atlantis Drum majorettes
BRIDGETOWN THEATRE COMPANY Athlone Choir/dancers
CAPE METRO MINSTREL ASSOCIATION Various Minstrels
DRUMBA DRUMMERS Strand Djembe drummers
GLEEMOOR LADIES CHOIR Belgravia/Athlone Choir
IKAPA DANCE THEATRE Hout Bay Street dancers
JIKELEZA DANCE PROJECT Hout Bay Pantsula dancers
PAS DE DEUX BALLET SCHOOL Retreat Ballet
LAUDATE LADIES CHOIR Ravensmead Choir
LIKHWEZI ARTS PROJECT Nyanga Vuvuzela orchestra
PALACE OF THE WINDS ORIENTAL DANCE THEATRE Various Oriental dancers
ST. JOSEPHS MARIST BROTHERS Rondebosch Marimbas
THE GAY COMMUNITY Cape Town
UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Kraaifontein Choir & youth brigade
TAFELBERG CHOIR - FAITH BASED ORGANISATION Kraaifontein Choir
VADHINI INDIAN DANCE THEATRE Rylands/Athlone Indian dancers
PETROLEUM AGENCY SA Tygervalley Dancers