Rebbetzin supports dancers from street to stardom

When Rebbetzin Aviva Rabinowitz approached a group of street dancers on the corner of Oxford Road and Jan Smuts Avenue four years ago, she never imagined that she would help take them to a professional stage, where they would be the main attraction. 

The Imbumba Dance Group will be performing at the Imbumba Ye Mzansi Dance Festival on 8 February at The Lesedi at the Joburg Theatre. 

The festival describes itself as a vibrant cultural celebration showcasing South Africa’s rich heritage through dance, music, and storytelling. It opened on 24 January, with a showcase featuring 100 township-based performers. 

However, the main attraction will be on 8 February, when the Imbumba Dance Group will be performing a dance musical featuring culturally diverse artists, predominantly women and youth, in an immersive production that celebrates Mzansi’s cultural diversity through expressive choreography, live music, and storytelling. 

“Imbumba Ye Mzansi is more than a festival, it’s a statement of unity, pride, and artistic excellence, highlighting the role of the performing arts in social cohesion, youth development, and cultural preservation in South Africa,” said Mojalefa Mogagabe, one of the organisers of this show along with Rabinowitz. 

Rabinowitz frequently drove past the Oxford Road intersection towards Jan Smuts Avenue, and these dancers, sometimes with Coca-Cola crates and other times just dancing, caught her attention in 2022. 

“Something spoke to my soul,” she said. “I was so inspired by their talent, and I envisaged better opportunities for them.” 

Rabinowitz would constantly talk about these dancers to her daughter, and she eventually suggested that Rabinowitz stop and get their contact details. 

One day, she did so, much to the surprise of the dancers. Sboniso Motaung, one of the dancers in the group, said they thought it was a shallow offer as other people had taken their contact details and done nothing more. 

“We felt like she wouldn’t come back to us because a lot of people were taking our contact details, and didn’t come back to us, but we saw she was serious when she called us for our first meeting,” he said. 

Rabinowitz not only came through on her promise, but after seeing their enthusiasm and desire to succeed, she knew that she had made the right decision to stop that day. 

“After meeting them on several occasions, I was inspired by their strong desire to succeed in life,” said Rabinowitz. 

Initially, she intended to arrange for them to perform at gigs for companies at different venues, but it turned into something far bigger. That eventually led to them formally creating the Imbumba Dance Group after Rabinowitz met Mogagabe, a creative entrepreneur with experience in the world of arts and culture. 

“She helped us with transport money; opened the website for us; registered our company; gets us gigs, and she’s always there for us,” said Motaung. 

Rabinowitz said the dance group receives support from the Mzansi Golden Economy grant given to them by the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture. This is what ultimately allowed them to put on this show at The Lesedi. 

“It has been exhilarating and heartwarming to see the group hard at work practising for the upcoming show. The original group of four dancers will be complemented by musicians, singers, and dancers, all of whom have been professionally trained,” said Rabinowitz. 

Performing at this level was something Motaung and the other dancers never thought possible, and now that they are getting ready to do so, the excitement is palpable. 

“It’s a big experience because we have never been hosted in such a big theatre,” said Motaung, “It’s going to be a great experience, and it feels like we are approaching another level since we are going to be performing with artists who are big in the art industry.” 

Rabinowitz said this show was only the first step for these dancers to superstardom. 

“We hope this will be the beginning of a new and successful chapter for the Imbumba Dance Group with performances on many stages, locally and abroad,” she said.