Cape Town to host the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts celebration
More than 200 artists and arts luminaries will gather for public events at the Baxter Theatre this February
Without enriching dialogue, healthy debate and the exchange of knowledge, culture would be in decline. What’s more, the arts are a necessary sounding board, contributing to a heathy, engaged society. Early in 2018, I attended the Rolex Arts Weekend of performances, exhibitions and talks in Berlin, Germany, which marked the end of the 2016-2017 cycle of the prestigious Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. This was the most inspiring creative gathering I’d ever attended, with luminaries such as composer Philip Glass, architect Sir David Chipperfield, author Mia Couto, film director Alfonso Cuarón, multimedia artist Joan Jonas and playwright-actor Robert Lepage among those included in the programme.
What made this immersion in the arts extraordinary was that so many of these icons made themselves freely available for one-on-one discussions. Strong debate over the future of arts education, a multimedia performance by Japanese-Peruvian composer and intermedia artist Pauchi Sasaki and a performance by young South African dancer Londiwe Khoza left a lasting impression.
But Berlin is a long way to go for the arts, so you’ll be pleased to learn that Rolex has chosen the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town to host this year’s event. This is the first on African soil and will feature the work of the 2018-2019 cycle of protégés with their mentors in the fields of dance, architecture, music and literature.
Since its inception in 2002, this international philanthropic programme has placed 54 exceptional young talents with 54 accomplished masters in the fields of dance, theatre, film, visual arts, music, literature and architecture to work one-on-one for a two-year period of creative collaboration. All participants receive full funding for the duration of the programme, which allows them to immerse themselves in their work. From South Africa, the list has included William Kentridge (mentor 2012-2013); Nicholas Hlobo, who was mentored by Kapoor (2010-2011) and Baxter Theatre director Foot who was mentored by the late, great Peter Hall (2004-2005). The 25-year-old classically trained dancer Khoza was mentored by acclaimed Israeli dancer-choreographer Ohad Naharin, the director of the Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv, where she now resides.
DON'T MISS OUT: BOOK YOUR TICKETS TO THE EVENT
• Saturday February 8 is dedicated to dance and architecture (all tickets are R100 (R50 for students)).
• Sunday February 9 is literature and music (all tickets for all events are R100 (R50 for students)).
• Films on previous protegés and mentors will be screened with no entrance fee.
Seating is limited, so early booking is strongly advised.
All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Zabalaza Festival, a Baxter Theatre Centre development programme. To view the full programme and book your tickets, visit Web Tickets..